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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22797775">The Escort | Youngbin</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zuholymama/pseuds/Zuholymama'>Zuholymama</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SF9 - Crime Underworld [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SF9 (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action, Blood and Violence, F/M, Romance, Smut</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 18:34:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>30,829</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22797775</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zuholymama/pseuds/Zuholymama</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As an adopted child of Ruska Roma, Youngbin has been living his life training to be a killer. The Director, his mother, trains him and his brothers relentlessly in the art of martial arts. He doesn’t let anything distract him to be someone his mother most proud of, even if it means breaking a bone or two. As the best melee fighter of his generation in the house he intends to keep it that way. Ordered by The Director to protect Junko Han from attempted assassination, Youngbin and his brother are to play the act of Junko’s escort and classmate to keep her safe for 1 week.</p><p>An SF9 Crime!AU that takes place in John Wick's universe.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Youngbin/OC</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SF9 - Crime Underworld [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1638976</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Arrival</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>Sitting on the warm wooden floor of side of the room, Youngbin is focused on wrapping bandages around his knuckles for the second time today. Discarding the damaged one from this morning that is already stained with blood and sweat, his knuckles now feel clean and refreshed. He’s ready to take on more sparring opponents. But that will have to wait for the young fighter currently watching an on-going match.</p><p>As he takes his position, Junmyeon glances at his left. He sees Youngbin sitting casually on the floor with his elbow propped on his knee. The younger one smirks, his eyes telling Junmyeon to just get it over with. Junmyeon grins in return. Even with his dark hair sticking down on his sweaty forehead, the man is far from tired. He’s ready to show his brothers who’s the strong one. He’s confident.</p><p>His brothers are cheering from the side as they witness the fight between two of the oldest members of this house other than Youngbin. Junmyeon and Oliver.</p><p>“What’s with the smile, Suho?” Oliver scoffs. Junmyeon’s nickname slips through his chapped lips when he’s being playful. The blonde man is amused with his opponent’s attitude. “Don’t think you’re winning just yet.” Taunts the man as he pulls back his right feet, ready to start attacking once more.</p><p>Junmyeon chuckles. He too readies his stand. His fists are tightened in front of his face. His focus is now completely back on Oliver.</p><p>“Sorry, didn’t mean to get soft on you.” The man tilts his head as he glances on to his audience, “Gotta make sure to put on a good example for our juniors, no?”</p><p>“Fuck off.” Says Oliver as he grins. Three seconds later, they both clash into each other once again. Both are gripping each other fists as they’re pushing. It’s a game of strength. Whoever goes or fall outside of the circle is the one who loses. Or, if they knock you out. Usually these savages prefer to win with the latter. Eyes boring holes into each other’s skulls. Determination is key towards success. It always is in the house of Ruska Roma, but that is just one of them.</p><p>Swiftly seizing the perfect timing, Junmyeon uses his right foot to kick Oliver’s stomach. Because of his strong grip on his hands, his reaction to defend was delayed. The attack successfully pushed him back away with enough force to get him out of the ring.</p><p>Ruthless is also the key to secure your victory.</p><p>Immediately the cheers are roaring loudly. Junmyeon puffs his chest then bring his fist up to show he’s the champion today.</p><p>“Youngbin, you’re next!” Says Luca, the boy who’s been standing near him.</p><p>“Yep, I know.” Says Youngbin as he stands up to walk inside of the circle. Everyone cheers at his entrance towards the arena. They get even more excited than before for it is Youngbin versus Junmyeon. Ruska Roma’s strongest male fighter versus his best friend.</p><p>“How about you drink first, Suho hyung?” Youngbin chide jokingly by calling his nickname. He always does that when he teases the older one.</p><p>“Fuck off. Let’s just get this over with.” Junmyeon laughs as he takes his position. When it comes to Youngbin, Junmyeon doesn’t want to lose. He feels a sense of pride swelling up within up whenever he faces his best friend.</p><p>As soon as they’re ready, Junmyeon takes the offensive immediately by throwing his right fist to Youngbin’s face. Youngbin easily dodged it and stepping back. His eyes are focusing on the relentless punches. But the brunette is calm. He’s waiting for the right timing to counter. Junmyeon’s breath is getting shallow.</p><p>Amidst the enthusiastic cheering from the audience, the big door opens without a knock. Some of them don’t care enough to see, but for some who do turn silent. That reaction spreads along with the others, thus making the room less noisy.</p><p>As soon as Youngbin side steps to his left, he grabs Junmyeon’s neck with the crook of his elbow, choking to immobilize him. He pushes Junmyeon down to the mattress with a loud thud. Then without wasting his chance, Youngbin sits on top of Junmyeon, his fist’s ready to knock out Junmyeon’s pretty face.</p><p>“Youngbin.”</p><p>Before Youngbin gets to land a hit, his hand stops in midair. Both him and Junmyeon immediately turn their heads to the source of the voice. It’s The Director, their adoptive mother.</p><p>Slowly Youngbin lowers his hand then moves away from Junmyeon. He stands up straight with his best friend follows shortly. The two bow their heads before they greet the authoritative figure.</p><p>“Mother.” Both of them greet in unison.</p><p>“Did you two really not realized I was coming in ten seconds ago? So eager to beat each other senseless?” The Director’s thick eyebrows rise amusingly.</p><p>“We’re very sorry, Mother.” Youngbin bows again apologetically, “Both of us were too excited. It won’t happen again.”</p><p>“Oh, forget it. It’s better to be eager than not. I’m not going to disturb you unless there’s an important matter. Youngbin, Junmyeon, come to my room now. The rest of you continue your training.” The elder one says shortly before she walks away from the training room. Her red dress flutters as she turns around.</p><p>Without questioning anything, not like they were given the chance to, Youngbin and Junmyeon grabs their water bottle and hand towels before they leave the room. Acting indifferent as if this is a usual thing to happen in this house, the other ones continue to train. With Luca going inside of the circle, Youngbin and Junmyeon walks away towards the opened door towards their mother’s room.</p><p>“What do you think she’ll order us this time?” Youngbin curiously asks his friend as he gulps down his drink.</p><p>“Probably the usual.” Junmyeon shrugs.</p><p>In the middle of the hallway, Youngbin sees a line of ballerinas walking towards their own practice room. One of them who he and Junmyeon happen to know closely enough is also there.</p><p>“So Ra.” Youngbin casually greets and flashing a smile but his steps aren’t stopping. Maybe a little slowed down.</p><p>“Hey! Where are you guys going?” She asks a little louder because the two are walking away from her.</p><p>“Mother’s office!” Junmyeon shouts back. “Good luck in your practice today!”</p><p>The girl only waves back as she disappears into the room.</p><p>Soon enough they arrive in front of the dark wooden door. Two heavily tattooed bodyguards in black attires are standing in front of it. After politely greet each other, the bodyguards pushing the doors to let them in. In there, The Director is already seating comfortable on her red sofa in front of the fireplace.</p><p>“Sit.” She orders.</p><p>Silently the two take the seat in front of them, facing The Director from the side. On the table in front of them lies some papers and photos, photos of someone.</p><p>“What is it, Mother?” Junmyeon asks to start the conversation.</p><p>“I’m giving you two a new order. This time it’s going to be a little different than the usual.”</p><p>“’Different’?” Youngbin asks as he tilts his head, genuinely curious to know.</p><p>“Yes. I want the two of you to protect someone from an upcoming assassination attempt.” The Director replies casually, “Take a look at those photos. That girl is your mission.”</p><p>Both men take a photo from the table. What they’re looking at is an Asian woman in her twenties. Her hair is colored in ashen brown, her attire’s in casual black leather. She’s pretty, both of them thought. Yet that is not the important thing right now.</p><p>“Junko Han. 25. She’s Japanese-Korean. Her father runs business in charcoal mining and her mother’s a popular fashion designer in Japan. In five days, their daughter is going to arrive in New York to start learning in New York University for her master degree.” The Director briefly explains her profile. Her Ukrainian accent’s thick with each word, “I have received some reports coming from Bowery King that she is not safe. As soon as she arrives, her head’s not going to be intact to last a day.”</p><p>“Pardon me, Mother,” Junmyeon raises his hand for permission. Her nod is all it takes for him to continue. “Do we have any connection with her? I mean, sure, she’s rich. But that’s it. Why do we have to protect her?”</p><p>Youngbin nods along with his question. That’s what’s bothering him as well. In the end she’s just another rich woman. People like her are vulnerable all the time, but she’s no one special in his eyes. Did their parents commission Mother?</p><p>“Good question.” The Director smirks, “Junko’s parents are patrons of our house.”</p><p>Now it makes sense. That’s why she becomes their business.</p><p>“In return of their patronage, I offer them protection for their family and business-related things. Her parents already know about this assassination attempt. I contacted them as soon as I got the report.”</p><p>“What about her? Does she know?” Youngbin enquires.</p><p>“She doesn’t know. She doesn’t know anything about her parent’s connection to us either.” Mother slowly leaning forward, her face turns more serious than before. The corners of her wrinkles are lit up in contrast caused by the fire’s light, “And that is important. I forbid you two to disclose any information regarding Ruska Roma to Junko Han. This is her parent’s wish. She will have to remain oblivious until the both of you are sure you have exterminated all of the bugs.”</p><p>The two remain silent. Youngbin takes a look at the photo he’s holding again. She’s smiling in there with her friends. Her ashen hair flutters in the wind. A pair of shades on top of her head making her look trendy. She seems to be outgoing and nice.</p><p>And naïve.</p><p>“So, who are we going to wipe out?” Junmyeon asks.</p><p>Before she speaks, she points her chin towards the rest of the photos left on the table, “Charles Doyle’s hitmen. He is Junko’s father business rival. We don’t know what’s his motive but we suspect he wants revenge against Han.”</p><p>Youngbin is indifferent. He doesn’t really care about that. He gets his orders and he will finish it. His mother’s words are absolute.</p><p>“What’s the plan?” Youngbin asks. His black eyes lift up from the photo in his hands. “Is there anything we have to prepare?”</p><p>“Youngbin, you’re going to escort her in the airport. For a week you’re going to act as her tour guide. Junmyeon, you’re going to be her classmate in New York University. The necessary documents are going to be ready tomorrow. Both of you are Koreans as well so that will help with the familiarity and language barriers.” Youngbin and Junmyeon nods in understanding. There is nothing more to be said. They are ready to take on the job. They have 5 days to prepare for everything.</p>
<hr/><p>Youngbin is preparing to pick up Junko in the airport. The weather today is cloudy and quite windy, so he’s wearing a long black trench coat and a cap. Just in case, he’s bringing an umbrella in his bag. He also brings a written A4 sized paper with Junko’s name on it for her to see after her arrival. The plane is landing in 2 hours so he better gets going now.</p><p>After he’s sure he has prepared everything, Youngbin walks out of his bedroom towards the lobby. The Director lends him a black bulletproof Mazda for the next week to take Junko around the city safely.</p><p>Junmyeon greets him by the gate. His best pal has been waiting there with So Ra, the ballerina that’s close with them.</p><p>“Good luck for today, Youngbin.” Says So Ra with a determined nod. “If you need help, Mother appointed me to be your back-up. Just in case Suho can’t make it.”</p><p>Junmyeon laughs it off, “Let’s hope that won’t be necessary. Be careful, Youngbin. Be observant. Remember, this time you—”</p><p>Youngbin cut him off with a groan, “Yes, yes, hyung I know… Have a little more faith in me, would ya? Your turn’s coming in Monday. You better start learning how to live as a student.” He ends with a smirk.</p><p>“The hell does that mean? I’ll be just fine. See you later, brother.”</p><p>After an hour and a half on the traffic road, Youngbin finally arrives at JFK airport. Just like he predicted, it’s raining. It’s already started pouring as soon as he’s entered the highway. Good thing he brings an umbrella big enough to use for two people. Youngbin parks his car in the parking lot. Before he steps out, he checks his phone to re-read the details of her arrival for which gate he has to go to.</p><p>
  <em>“Gate 5. Arrival in 20 minutes.”</em>
</p><p>Soon enough, Youngbin arrives near gate 5. He’s looking at his surroundings, his instinct telling him that someone’s definitely going to come to make sure she’s actually coming today. There are many people at the airport today. Probably because people are coming home from their Lunar New Year holiday. Youngbin suddenly feels weirded out. He doesn’t know what having a family, biological family, feels like. He can’t relate with the joy of having to go home to your close relatives. He doesn’t even have any reason to travel. Ruska Roma and New York has held him hostage, probably forever. Looking at these strangers make him feel some sort of longing.</p><p><em>“What the fuck, Youngbin? Focus!”</em> The brunette scolds himself. As he pulls down his cap tighter as if to regain his composure, Youngbin walks away to the nearest café to grab a coffee. Rather than just standing around in all black, it’ll make him look like suspicious. Looking at the taken seats, he quickly scans the customers. <em>“Nothing suspicious. No one’s familiar.”</em> He then proceeds to order an iced americano that comes free with a sweet donut. Youngbin likes this combination. The man looks uptight on the outside, but his brothers now what Youngbin likes. They often see him eating it in the mansion during break time. Youngbin doesn’t really care what they think. If he likes it, he’ll enjoy it.</p><p>As he fiddles with his phone, Youngbin steals a look around his view. Someone catches his attention. Dressed in brown leather jacket, leaning on the fence that separates the visitor from the arriving passengers. He’s wearing a black scarf that covers half of his face and also a cap that shadows his eyes. He might be just another visitor around to pick up someone, but as someone who’s been living int the world of crime ever since he was 15, something tells him that man isn’t ordinary. Youngbin is keeping his eyes on him while he occasionally checks out his phone. He needs to conceal his presence. The guy can’t know he’s been observed.</p><p>Finally, the clock on his phone shows that Junko’s plane has landed.</p><p>Youngbin opens up his sling bag. He pulls out a neatly rolled up paper that he’s prepared to greet Junko. He’s thinking he should stand not too far away from the guy he’s suspecting. Standing up to sling his bad on his shoulder, Youngbin brings his half-finished coffee and casually walking towards the fence. He’s merely 5 meters away from the suspicious man. Not too close enough to seem obvious, not too far enough to be out of his sigh.</p><p>Youngbin puts up a smiling face. A little strained because he’s not used to it but he hopes he won’t scare her away. He had heard his siblings told him that his eyes look kind. That image better helps him now.</p><p><em>“Be friendly.”</em> His Mother reminded him yesterday.</p><p>Soon enough groups of arriving passengers walk out of the gate. Youngbin grips the paper in front of him, making sure people can read it nice and clear.</p><p>Then there it is, the familiar figure. She’s wearing a pair of blue shades. Her bright hair is messily tied in a bun. She’s pulling her huge suitcase as her head’s looking around the person she’s supposed to meet.</p><p>Before Youngbin calls out to her, he takes a quick glance to his left. The suspicious guy’s attention is obviously on Junko.</p><p><em>“Damn.”</em> The dangerous thing is Youngbin doesn’t have any idea what he will do.</p><p>The brunette immediately puts his hand up to catch her attention. It’s working, she’s looking at him. As soon as she notices, Junko walks closer towards Youngbin. Her face brightens up out of formality but it doesn’t seem fake. With a shy grin, Junko puts away her shades, revealing her pretty dark brown eyes. She bows before her ‘escort’ knowing the man is also Korean. Youngbin does the same in return.</p><p>“Good afternoon, Junko.” He greets with the sweetest smile he can muster, “My name is Kim Youngbin. Just call me Youngbin. I will be your escort and also your tour guide around New York for a week.”</p><p>“Nice to meet you, Youngbin. Just Jun is fine, by the way. And yes, I’ve heard. My father has told me about you. You’re way younger than I thought, though!” Junko says to make light of the situation. She really thought it was going to be a man in his thirties who’s going to pick her up or at least- doesn’t look this handsome.</p><p>“Really? How old do you think, I am?” Youngbin laughs along. “Anyway, the car is over the parking lot. Let me take your suitcase.”</p><p>“Ah, sure, thank you!” Junko lets go of her luggage for her escort to take, “Uhm… I think we’re the same age?”</p><p>Walking side by side towards the parking lot, Youngbin takes a look behind his back. He’s checking if that guy follows him behind.</p><p>
  <em>“Got you.”</em>
</p><p>He is indeed following them.</p><p>To avoid acting like he did look behind to see the guy, Youngbin quickly smiles then look at Junko, “How old are you, Jun?” He asks to keep her attention to him.</p><p>“25.” The girl nods.</p><p>“We’re not too far off. Try again.”</p><p>“26?”</p><p>“Yep.”</p><p>“Aaah, just a year older. Noted!” She grins.</p><p>After putting the suitcase inside the trunk of his car, Youngbin gets to the driver seat. Junko is already sitting on the back fiddling with her phone. After Youngbin starts the engine, Junko’s phone rings aloud. She quickly picks it up.</p><p>“Hello, dad?”</p><p>Youngbin takes a look on his right before he drives off. He’s being cautious. Now that he knows he’s being followed, there’s a good chance they’re going to follow him to see where Junko lives.</p><p>He needs to take him out.</p><p>“I know, dad. I love you too. Don’t worry too much. Byeee,” Junko sighs as she takes away her phone, “What a worrywart.”</p><p>“Your father?” Youngbin asks.</p><p>“Uh-huh. Asked me if I’ve arrived safely and say that I shouldn’t be too far away from you.” The girl shrugs.</p><p>Youngbin chuckles in response, “Probably because you’re not familiar with this city. Don’t worry Jun, Mr. Han already told me to take care of you for this whole week.”</p><p>“Seriously? Then can I chat you to ask around outside of your work hour?”</p><p>“My work hour is very flexible. You can even ask me to go to your place or your campus to pick you up whenever,” The brunette smiles, “So don’t worry about it. You can also chat me where do you want to go then I’ll take you there. But that’s after we drop you off in your apartment, okay?”</p><p>“Wow… You’re very kind, Youngbin. Thanks a lot for your help.” Junko says in awe. She wonders if he’s doing this for all the tour he’s done before but she decides to keep it to herself. The rest of the road is accompanied with a comfortable silence.</p>
<hr/><p>An hour later, they arrive in front of the luxury apartment where Junko will stay during her study, The Eugene. It’s conveniently located near NYU so it’s very ideal for her. Youngbin drops her off in the lobby before he’s goes to find somewhere to park. Junko told him before that she’s going to sort out all of her belongings then take some rest. They’re going to meet again in the lobby in 2 hours to eat out. Youngbin agrees, it’s perfect. He needs the time to take that man out first. He carries a gun that he’s stored in the car’s glove compartment. It’s equipped with a silencer to avoid unnecessary attention. Before he goes out of the car, he changes his attire with a grey hoodie and wears a black mask.</p><p>“Alright. Time to work.”</p>
<hr/><p>The man in brown is standing in the opposite side of the building. He’s taking pictures of the building with his phone. In the public eye he doesn’t look suspicious at all. No one pays him any mind. After he’s satisfied with the pictures, the man walks away towards the back alley where he parks his car.</p><p>When his hand grabs the door’s handle, he suddenly feels someone grabs his shoulder then pull him roughly to face his assaulter. Next thing he knows a fist lands successfully on his face, bringing him down to the ground.</p><p>“Fuck!” The man curses. He immediately tries to reach the gun behind him but he’s not quick enough. Youngbin kicks his hand away then immediately sits on top of his back, pulling his hand onto his back enough to make it hurt. With his other hand, he cocks his gun onto his head.</p><p>“Shit! You’re her escort!?”</p><p>Youngbin pays no mind. He’s going to be the one asking questions.</p><p>“Did Charles Doyle send you?”</p><p>The man widens his eyes. He’s stiffened up under the threatening man. He’s getting scared.</p><p>“H-how did you know?” He fails to contain his stutters.</p><p>“Alright. Sorry, nothing personal.”</p><p>Youngbin pulls his trigger with no hesitation. The death is immediate. Blood splutters on the concrete from his head. One down. Suddenly a phone ring from within the dead man’s pocket. Youngbin picks it up, casually swipes up to answer the call.</p><p>
  <em>“You got her address?”</em>
</p><p>“He’s dead.”</p><p>Silence immediately follows. After several seconds of waiting, Youngbin wants to speak again. But before he can utter a word, the caller continues. His voice is gruff with a hint of cautiousness.</p><p>
  <em>“…Are you the escort?”</em>
</p><p>“Maybe. Maybe not.” Youngbin scoffs.</p><p>
  <em>“I’m warning you. Don’t interfere. Junko Han is ours.”</em>
</p><p>Youngbin sighs. He slowly stands back up from the corpse he was sitting on. He put his gun inside his hoodie’s pocket as his attention darts back into the car beside of him, staring at his own reflection on the car’s window.</p><p>“Sorry, your warning comes too late. Not like I’d listen to it anyway. Junko Han is my business. Taking you guys out also happens to be part of the job. So, if we can meet up to finish this that would be nice. Makes my job easier.”</p><p>The man on the other line chuckles amusingly,<em> “You got some nerve. Watch your mouth, kid.”</em></p><p>Youngbin smirks in return, “And you better watch your back, <em>sir</em>.”</p><p>Youngbin ends the call immediately. He then throws the phone harshly towards the ground then stomps his boot on it. Looking at the corpse below him, Youngbin crouches down to pick the body up. He opens the car’s trunk then throws the body in it. After he closes the trunk, Youngbin picks up his phone to call someone to clean the mess up. After a short conversation of the deal, he hangs up then starts walking away from the scene back to The Eugene.</p>
<hr/><p>The next day, Youngbin picks Junko up to take her to her uni. Today will be her first class. Mostly it’ll be just introduction about the school ground and how to make herself comfortable around the place. NYU will be a totally different new atmosphere for her. She’s familiar with the language, but she’s not familiar with the culture. Junko asked Youngbin last night about what to expect during her stay here. The escort replied something about how Americans are more carefree and honest. She figured it may take some time for her to adjust, but she’s 25. What can’t she do? What could possibly go wrong anyway?</p><p>Inside the classroom, Junko is sitting in the middle row. She’s kind of nervous. It’s her first time studying abroad. She may be outgoing in Korea, but she’s not sure about her social skills will work fine here. However, Junko doesn’t want to let it get to her.</p><p>Fiddling with her phone while waiting for the teacher to come inside, Junko feels a presence is coming to sit beside of her. She averts her attention to the guy beside of her, wondering why of all places he decides to sit near her. Not like she’s not welcoming it but she’s kind of surprised. The man is Asian just like her. Suddenly she feels a sense of comfort.</p><p>“Hello, may I sit here?” The man politely asks.</p><p>“Yeah, sure! Go ahead.” Junko frantically nods.</p><p>“Thanks.” He grins, showing off his pearly white teeth, “My name’s Suho, by the way. You?” The man introduces himself as he offers his hand for a handshake.</p><p>Junko eagerly accepts it and smile. She feels more confident than the first time she came in the class, “I’m Junko. Junko Han. Are you a Korean too?”</p><p>“Yeah, I am. Was born in Busan but then I moved here 10 years ago. I’m looking forward to make your acquaintance, Junko.”</p><p>“Just Jun is fine. Same goes for me too, Suho.”</p><p>5 minutes later, the class is packed with a lot of new students. Looking at all the new faces the girl feels a sense of tingling in her stomach. She feels excited. She will spend her 2 years with these people, she better make it count.</p>
<hr/><p>During their break, Suho made a plan to spend some time together with Junko. It’s his role to protect her within the school ground so he wants to make sure Junko is still within his eyesight. But before that, Suho told Junko that he needs make a quick phone call to his parents. Not like he actually means it.</p><p>
  <em>“Is she with you?”</em>
</p><p>“Yeah. We’re gonna eat soon. Are you going to pick her up after this? Where are you?”</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah. I’m inside of the café across the building. Uh… Morning Bird? Yeah, that’s the name. I’ll be on look out.”</em>
</p><p>“Alright. Don’t forget we’re gonna meet later with her.”</p><p>
  <em>“I know, hyung. See you later.”</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>After 5 hours socializing and getting to know around the campus, Junko doesn’t feel tired. Today has been good to her but she feels like that’s mostly because of Suho, the guy she met and become friends with. He’s been so kind and helpful to her the whole day that it makes her feel like maybe she’s known him before. Probably not, but his friendliness succeeded in getting inside her head that way.</p><p>Jun is going to meet Youngbin again to eat in a famous burger restaurant. She’s already planning to tell him about her day and Suho, hoping it will make an interesting conversation. Walking together with her new friend to the campus’s front gate, Jun is expecting Youngbin’s car to be parked outside waiting for her. Soon enough the familiar figure is there, leaning on the car. Today he’s not wearing a cap like yesterday. Junko can see his silky brown hair fluttering in the wind.</p><p>“Youngbin!” She greets with a wave of her small hand.</p><p>But something feels different. Rather than greeting her back, Youngbin’s expression turns into shock. The clueless girl is confused. She looks at where his attention is focused on then she realizes it’s to her new friend beside of her. Suho.</p><p>“Oh my God, Binnie!! It’s been awhile!”</p><p>“Suho-hyung!!”</p><p>The two run into each other for a hug, leaving the girl speechless. And did she just heard Suho called her guide “Binnie”?</p><p>“You guys know each other?”</p><p>Pulling away from the tight hug, Suho grins as he throws his arm onto Youngbin’s shoulder. “Yeah! He’s my junior from my previous campus. We were both in liberal arts major. We’re still keeping contact since then. Gosh I never thought he would be your guide for a week!”</p><p>“I also didn’t expect you guys would be in the same class. What a coincidence hahahah.”</p><p>The unexpected event truly amuses her. Junko feels bewildered but on top of it all she feels happy. It just gets better. The two first friends she’s made in this foreign city know each other. She expects more fun things will happen to her this week as long as she’s with these two.</p><p>“Then why don’t we all just eat together? Join us, Suho!”</p><p>“Sure! Get in, hyung. We’re going to Itaewon Bar.”</p><p>
  <em>To be continued</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello! Zuholymama from tumblr here! I decided to import my writing over from tumblr to AO3. However the first update will be up on my tumblr first~ Feel free to follow my tumblr or twitter for more SF9 contents! I draw SF9 fanarts as well &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Predicament</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“We’re here.”</p><p>When the car stops, Jun wakes up from her short slumber. She was dreaming about her days with her friends back in Korea, laughing with them while talking about their idols. She was hesitant to wake up, bur still her long lashes are opening and trying to adjust. She realizes that the outside is getting dark but there are a lot of neon lights that warmly greet her. Junmyeon takes a look at her from his front seat, checking out if she’s okay.</p><p>“You okay? You slept like a log.” The man grins.</p><p>“I’m okay. I guess I didn’t realize I was sleepy.” Jun replies, trying to convince the two. She doesn’t want to ruin the mood with hee drowsiness. Eating some good food might be able to wake her up later. She’s hungry anyway.</p><p>“Jun, if you’re tired just tell me, okay? I’ll take you home.” Says Youngbin. He’s making sure Jun doesn’t have to hesitate to ask for anything.</p><p>“Hey, it’s really okay. I may be a bit tired but most of all, I’m starving. Let’s go!”</p><p>Knowing there’s no point to debate, both Youngbin and Junmyeon can agree they all are hungry. Stepping outside of the car, Youngbin leads Jun inside the two storey restaurant with Junmyeon follows closely behind them. The place isn’t that big. It’s small but it feels homey. There is a Korean community here that supports you like a family. But for Youngbin and Junmyeon, this place is more than just a restaurant.</p><p>Itaewon bar is listed as a neutral territory in the crime underworld. Just like the Continental Hotel, Itaewon bar does not allow any criminal activities to be conducted inside the area. Anyone who dares to break the rule will be declared as an Excommunicado immediately. A status that no criminals ever dare to get.</p><p>That means they are safe here.</p><p>As soon as they step inside of the place, they’re all greeted by the friendly staffs. The place is pretty packed already. It’s to be expected for dinner time. The three are lucky enough to get a table near the window. The view is pretty colorful with all the street lights. Jun’s looking at them with awe, feeling excited with the new experience she’s having.</p><p>“Guys, where’s the toilet?” The girl asks as soon as she puts down her bag.</p><p>“Oh, over there. You walk outside to the stairs, look at to your right. The toilet’s there behind a red curtain.” Answers Junmyeon. With a quick thanks, Jun walks away to take a leak and fix her make up.</p><p>When Youngbin looks at the bar, he sees two very familiar and powerful figures. All dressed in black yet ironically, they stand out. Seeing how the table bar isn’t occupied with anyone but them and the owner, it’s obvious enough for the crime world to know who they are.</p><p>“You see what I’m seeing, hyung?”</p><p>“That chaebol and The Adjudicator? Yep. As clear as day.”</p><p>One of the staff approaches their table to give them the menu. Out of curiosity, Youngbin asks her loud enough to hear through the k-pop music.</p><p>“Hey, Bora. It’s rare to see our young crime conglomerate hanging out here?”</p><p>Bora only shrugs with a pout. Her big round eyes looking behind to see the handsome man for a brief, “It’s the first time he’s coming here this month. I don’t know what’s up. Xiumin-ssi forbids me to come close.”</p><p>“How long have they been here?”</p><p>“An hour I guess?”</p><p>Acknowledging the trivial information, Junmyeon raises his eyebrows then looks back towards his menu. Soon enough Jun comes back from her break. With a relaxed sigh, she nonchalantly takes the menu sheet, asking what’s the recommendation here. Youngbin recommends the spicy tteokbokki. It’s always been his number one favorite here. Trusting him, Jun merely nods and follows whatever the two are having. 2 bottles of soju, 2 plates of tteokbokki, and 3 rice bowls. After repeating their orders, the friendly staff walks away towards the kitchen.</p><p>The lively place makes Junko feels somehow safe and comfortable. The room is painted with dark brown from the wooden furniture and the dim yellow lights from the ceilings giving a warm feeling. Knowing there are many Koreans here also give her a sense of security and familiarity. She keeps a mental note to come here some time for a meal. Asking her two new friends to come along might be a good idea. While they’re waiting, the three are talking about their pasts. How Youngbin started his career and how he became friends with Suho, how he got in contact with Jun’s father, his hobbies, etc. It’s very interesting to hear him talking, Jun thought. The foods and drinks soon arrive on their table. The girl’s face is beaming with excitement, it looks delicious and her stomach growls in response.</p><p>“Gosh, we better still keep in contact even after you’re done babysitting me for a week, Youngbin.” She says as she takes her chopsticks.</p><p>Youngbin widens his eyes. Honestly, he’d be lying if he didn’t think about the possibility. After having this conversation with her, Youngbin realizes she’s actually a fun person to hang around with. However, he knows how dangerous it is to make her a part of his life. Even though it’s just as a friend, Junko knows nothing about him. She can’t. For now, Youngbin can only smile and lie.</p><p>“Of course.” He simply answers.</p><p>Suddenly, a familiar voice calls out to his name. Youngbin tilts his head to the source of the voice, proving himself that the sound was indeed coming from his old friend.</p><p>“Jaeyoon!” He calls out.</p><hr/><p>As he’s walking towards their table, Jaeyoon gives a quick greeting towards the two men sitting on the bar and the owner. They greet him back out of formality and see where he’s heading to. The moment they both realize who’s sitting by the window, The Adjudicator makes a knowing hum. He smirks then continue to drink his whiskey, “I didn’t realize Ruska Roma’s boys are here.”</p><p>“Isn’t that the Iron Fist?” Asks the other man.</p><p>“Yes.” The Adjudicator merely nods, “How about him, Seokwoo?” He grins.</p><p>“Are you joking? No, Juho. He doesn’t fit.”</p><p>“Delphia’s a busy girl. You might have to wait until May.” Juho shrugs.</p><p>“I’ll find a way.” Seokwoo curtly answers. There isn’t much confidence detected within his voice but Seokwoo does a good job covering it.</p><p>Not good enough to his friend, though.</p><p>He swallows another shot of soju then roughly puts the glass back down. “I gotta go back. Thanks for her contact.”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>Stepping down from his stool, Seokwoo gives a warm pat to Juho’s shoulder before leaving the place. The other man sits still, enjoying his whiskey and decided to watch the crowded table by the window.</p><hr/><p>With a quick introduction, Jun is acquainted with the new guy named Jaeyoon, a doctor with cute dimples. Jun definitely agrees with that statement but she didn’t expect the man to be that proud of it. He’s not specialized in any particular medical field but he promises her he can fix up most human bodies.</p><p>“If you feel sick and don’t know where to go, feel free to contact me. I accept house calls. It’s way cheaper than going to the hospital. Trust me.” He says with a wink.</p><p>“Dude, money is never a problem for Jun. A few hundred dollars of difference don’t really affect her wallet that much.” Suho laughs jokingly. Youngbin hits his best friend on his shoulder, telling him not to say that in front of his client, “Ouch!?”</p><p>Looking at the comical interaction makes Junko laughs her lungs out. It’s amazing how these two acts in front of her. She’s been here for merely 3 days, but Youngbin and Suho managed to make her feel like home.</p><p>“Jun, just so you know, it’s not too late to leave these clowns.” The doctor leans down to speak to her closer. The other two who obviously heard him gaped in disbelief. Did he just try to snatch their client away in front of them?</p><p>“Ahahahah! Oh, please! I’m totally fine with these clowns. Thanks, Jaeyoon!” Again, another laughter erupts from out of her. She’s having a blast. That much, Youngbin can see as clear as day. Somehow the view warms his heart. It makes him feel happy, to say the least.</p><p>“Well anyway, I gotta go. Youngbin, Suho, see you guys later. Jun, nice to meet you.” Jaeyoon says his goodbye before he walks away from their table. After he turns around, the man pulls out his phone from his jacket, typing something as he walks out of the room. Youngbin feels a vibration from his jeans. With a frown, Youngbin pulls out his phone and check his SMS notification.</p><p>
  <b>Dr. Jaeyoon - Someone’s watching us across the road. Be careful.</b>
</p><p>“Shit.” Youngbin curses before he realizes he let it slip. Suho immediately catches that. He saw the text on his partner’s screen.</p><p>“Hm? What’s wrong, Youngbin?” Jun asks.</p><p>“Oh, nothing. Anyway, Jun. It’s 9 already. Do you want to go home?”</p><p>“Eh? Oh, right. It’s already this late… Sure, let’s go.”</p><p>After they paid the bills, Suho whispers something to Youngbin the moment Jun walks ahead of them. With a frown, Youngbin nods in agreement. It’s a solid plan. Once they step outside of the restaurant, Youngbin feels a sense of their security peels away. They are no longer within the neutral ground and the hitman he saw is no longer in the same spot. However, he got an idea of where he’s possibly hiding.</p><p>With a plastered grin on his face, Junmyeon turns towards his friends, “Jun, Youngbin, I had fun. Thanks a lot for tonight.”</p><p>“Oh, you’re not gonna come with us? I’m sure I can take you to the nearest station.” Says Youngbin.</p><p>“No, thank you. I can just walk from here. It’s faster that way. Take care you two. See you tomorrow, Jun.” The man waves his hand and winks before he walks away to the crowd.</p><p>“Bye-bye, Suho!” Junko shouts with her hand around her lips, yet it quickly turns into a frown when she realizes he’s already disappear eaten by the crowd, “Oh, he’s gone…”</p><p>Youngbin pats her slumped shoulder before urging her to get inside the car, “He’s probably chasing the last train on the subway. Come on, let’s go.”</p><p>Somehow feeling a little bit conflicted, Junko gets inside their car anyway. She can’t pinpoint the weird feelings she’s getting. From how her friends spoke to her, she could sense some sort of urgency. She figured it may have something to do with what Youngbin saw on his phone before he asks her to go home.</p><hr/><p>Suho is cautious. His whole body is ready for trouble. His knitted eyebrows adorn his beautiful face, he’s focused and highly alert. A gun is ready in his jacket’s pocket. He took it from Youngbin’s car compartment when Jun was sound asleep. Just in case, he thought. Yet now he’s actually gonna use it.</p><p>The dark alley behind these buildings are very familiar enough for Suho. He’s seen a lot of things in this part of the city. He knows where to go and he knows where to hide. For that he’s grateful because when he’s nearing a corner near a trash bin, he immediately steps away dodging a sudden knife attack.</p><p>“Tch!”</p><p>Suho’s fighter instinct’s immediately kicking in. Once the knife is past him, he quickly grabs his attacker’s arm to pull him in then uses his boot to strongly kick his stomach. With a painful scream, the unknown man got pushed away to the asphalt below and his knife is out of his hold. Standing up straight, Suho pulls out his gun and points it towards his attacker. He pulls the safety lever, ready to shoot anytime.</p><p>“Who are you?” Suho asks coldly. “Did Charles Doyle send you?”</p><p>The man grins as if he’s the one winning. Not sure if he’s trying to get into his nerve, but Suho doesn’t play any games, “Speak!”</p><p>Suddenly the hairs behind his neck stand up. His sensitive ears picking up someone is coming near behind him. Suho quickly turns around to see the threat but the next thing he knows is the sound of gun ripples through the air, darkness overcomes his visions.</p><hr/><p>The road going home is pretty much silent. The situation just keeps feeding her anxiety. Something’s wrong, she can tell. But she doesn’t know what is. It’s not a comfortable silence and Jun doesn’t like it. She wants to ask but she doesn’t find any courage within her to dare. She feels like she’s afraid to find out what’s bugging her. Even with all the bonding tonight, somehow Youngbin is still giving her an invisible barrier between them. It’s more obvious now that they’re alone.</p><p>Finally arriving back in The Eugene, Youngbin stops in front of the lobby. He steps outside to open the door for Jun. The good gesture comforts her somehow, but it’s not enough to truly make her feel at ease. She can’t take it anymore. She has to know what’s wrong.</p><p>“Young-“</p><p>“Jun.”</p><p>Her words are cut short before she can ask. Yet the thing that truly stops her isn’t his stern voice but his eyes. His eyes that have always been so kind to her these days now look very serious.</p><p>“…Yes?”</p><p>“If anything happens, if you need help, call me.”</p><p>“Wh-what do you mean? Is something wrong? You guys have been weird since we came back from the bar.” A genuine concern adorns her voice. Her heart is starting to beat faster against her chest.</p><p>Youngbin can’t help but to smile. This girl, her feeling runs deeper than he thought. Perhaps he’s been underestimating her. He may look really stern right now without his knowing, but he’s going to try not to worry her too much. Stepping forward a bit, the escort puts his hand on top of Jun’s head, giving her a comforting pat.</p><p>“It’s okay. Nothing’s wrong. Make sure you sleep well tonight. See you tomorrow.” He calmingly convinces her. When he realizes he was getting too close, Youngbin pulls his hand away again like he had touched a fire. He doesn’t know why he didn’t think twice about it. But now that he feels her warmth, he’s more aware of the situation.</p><p>Jun is almost shocked. That gesture before isn’t something she usually gets from her male friends back in Korea. It was too intimate. Her mind is trying to rationalize it by believing that even though Youngbin is a Korean, he’s raised up in here for so long. Maybe that’s why he acts different. She decides not to think too much about it and just carry on with a smile.</p><p>“Mm. If you say so. See you tomorrow.”</p><p>With that she turns to walk inside of the apartment, leaving her escort behind who’s still looking at her back until he is sure she gets inside the lift safely.</p><p>Once she gets inside her room, Jun plops down face first on her sofa. The fatigue from today is starting to overcome her body. She sighs, wondering about how the time she’s spent in New York has been really fun. Her mind is racing towards a particular person.</p><p>Her escort, Kim Youngbin.</p><p>“…Youngbin…” His name slips out softly from her pink lips. She’s curious. The invisible barrier that he puts up around himself is pulling her close instead of doing the opposite. She wanted to reach out to him, even just a little.</p><p>Suddenly, her phone rings. She quickly gets it out of her jeans. It’s her mother this time. Swiping her thumb across the screen, she then answers her mom’s call.</p><p>“Hello, mom?” She greets her in Japanese.</p><p>
  <em>“Hello, darling! How are you? Is everything alright? Have you eaten?”</em>
</p><p>“I’m good, mom. Everything’s alright. And also, it’s 10PM right here so yes I’ve had my dinner.” Jun scoffs. “How’s Tokyo fashion week?”</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, right… I forgot you’re 14 hours behind there. It’s not my turn yet, it will be in an hour. I’m free right now so I want to check up on you first. I miss you so much, my Koko.”</em>
</p><p>“I know… I miss you too, mom. Dad too. Good luck with your runway. Kairin, fighting!”</p><p>
  <em>“Thank you, darling. One more thing, if you face any difficulties, then please ask your guide to help you. That Kim Youngbin. Okay?”</em>
</p><p>“Did you know that Youngbin told me the same thing 5 minutes ago when he dropped me off? If I get robbed should I ask for his help too?” Jun jokingly asks.</p><p><em>“Trust me,” </em>Her mother pauses, giving her a little anxiety, <em>“He can do anything. Your father and I picked out the best guardian to help you out there.”</em> She softly explains. She sounds unnecessarily worried for Jun’s liking.</p><p>“…Okay.”</p><p>
  <em>“Oh no, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later. Good night, sweetheart. I love you.”</em>
</p><p>“Good night, mommy. I love you too.”</p><p>Jun sighs. She feels like everyone seemed to be so protective of her lately and she can’t think of why that happens. Maybe it’s just her. Maybe she’s overthinking. Closing her sleepy eyes for a moment, Jun then stands up from her sofa and walks lazily to the toilet to wash her face. She doesn’t want to forget her poor skin that has been enduring all the impurities from today.</p><p>A sudden doorbell startle her. Looking back towards the doorway, Jun wonders who on earth would disturb her at this hour. She grabs the hand towel by the hook beside of the mirror to wipe off her face. When she walks towards the entrance, her phone rings loudly, stopping her in the middle of the hallway. Jun thinks maybe that’s her mom again so she wants to quickly tell her that she’s not going to be able to talk to her. The bell rings again as if they don’t have time to idle around.</p><p>It begins to make her panic. “Wait a sec!” She yells to her guest.</p><p>When she picks up the phone, the name of the caller is not who she expected.</p><p>“Youngbin…?” She mutters in confusion.</p><p>Quickly swiping her thumb on the screen to pick him up, Jun then walks towards the door to greet the impatient guest. “Hello? What is it, Young- “</p><p>
  <em>“Where are you right now!?”</em>
</p><p>Her hand that is hovering on top of the door’s lock stops in midway. His sudden outburst bewilders her. He never raises his voice, ever.</p><p>“I-in my room! What is it why do you sou–”</p><p>
  <em>“Is someone outside your room!?”</em>
</p><p>“Y-yes!? How do you know!?”</p><p>
  <em>“Do NOT open the door until I get there. Do you hear me!?”</em>
</p><p>“Huh!?”</p><p>
  <em>“I’m on my way. Don’t turn off the phone!”</em>
</p><p>All of a sudden, the person outside of her room knocks her door aggressively. Jun flinches and scream, her feet bringing her back to away from the door. Immediately fear creeps up within her. She doesn’t have any idea what’s happening and right now she really hopes Youngbin will come as fast as he can.</p><p>
  <em>“What happened!?”</em>
</p><p>“T-they just knocked like a mad man… Oh my God what if they’re using forc—OH MY GOD!”</p><p>The sound of gun thundered throughout the space. They’re shooting at the door’s handle, forcing their way in. Three shots were what it takes to get their way in. A second of silence later, the door opens slowly, revealing a big bald man in black leather and heavy boots, walking inside unwelcomed. His whole being is threatening. His towering height over her isn’t helping either.</p><p>With a deafening scream, Jun runs away towards her bedroom for dear life.</p><p>
  <em>“JUNKO!?”</em>
</p><p>After getting inside her room, she roughly closes the door and with a shaky hand she locks the door.</p><p>“Y-Y-Youngbin, what the hell is happening…!?” She pleads with teary eyes. She can’t stop shaking in fear. She’s still trying to register that someone is really out there in her apartment trying to kill her. “He’s inside–he’s inside the living room! He was shooting at the door!! Is he trying to kill me!?”</p><p>
  <em>“Shit. Don’t come out there no matter what! I’m in the lift! Hold on!!”</em>
</p><p>Her heart is beating fast like crazy. This is real. She doesn’t know what the hell is happening. Who is the giant monster outside of her bedroom? What is happening? Will she be okay? How did Youngbin know she’s not safe? Will Youngbin really-</p><p>Suddenly a loud sound coming from behind her, shocking her dear soul out of her body. Jun quickly turns her head around to see what is broken—something is definitely broken.</p><p>Her bedroom’s birch wooden door.</p><p>Did he just kick it?</p><p>“STAY AWAY FROM ME!”</p><p>The man only grins. Far from funny, it looks vile on his tattooed face.</p><p>“If you just opened the door sooner, this wouldn’t have happened, y’know?” The man shakes his head, “You’re coming with me”. It sounds like an order, an ultimatum. It’s obviously hinted within his voice that he doesn’t take “no” for an answer.</p><p>“Wh-what do you want from me!? Why are you doing this!?” Jun desperately asks for an answer. She hates this situation with all of her being. She’s clueless, she feels innocent. She deserves to know what the hell is going on instead of getting involved in this predicament.</p><p>“Nothing personal, girlie. It’s just business.” The man answers in finality. His heavy boots bring him closer to grab his victim. Before his big calloused hand can touch Jun, the unknown criminal feels a sharp pain going through his shoulder blade.</p><p>“ARGH!” The man groans loudly in pain. His huge build arched in respond. His left hand tries to reach the one who inflicted the pain behind him, wanting to teach them a lesson. But it’s futile, his attacker already takes a safe distance away from him, standing ready with a bloodied kitchen knife he just used to stab the bald man. “You…”, he mutters then shortly grins amusingly, “The escort.”</p><p>Junko’s vision isn’t as clear as she wants it. The body of the bald man is blocking the view she desperately needs in that moment, wanting to believe that what the man said is right. She wants to see him, her savior. Coming in cold and dangerous, the voice sounds foreign to her yet strangely it washes all of her fear away.</p><p>“<b>Stay the fuck away from her.</b>”</p><p>“…Youngbin…!”</p><p>
  <em>To be continued</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Safe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Youngbin feels like his heart is going to jump out from his mouth. It’s beating so fast, he’s worried and anxious. The lift that’s taking him to the 20<sup>th</sup> floor feels like it’s going up forever. His finger keeps tapping on the pipe by the wall in trying to distract himself.</p><p>
  <em>“Why the fuck does she have to live this high, god dammit!”</em>
</p><p>His other hand is still keeping his phone close and connected with Jun, making sure he knows what’s happening until he gets there to save her. Youngbin curses himself for being careless. He never thought it was going to be this complicated, he never thought–</p><p>Suddenly a loud gunshot followed with Junko’s scream stops his train of regrets and snaps him back to reality.</p><p>“JUNKO!?”</p><p>It took her a while to respond but then Youngbin hears a door roughly shuts close with a lock. He thinks she must be inside her bedroom or toilet. This isn’t good. The situation is dire and he needs to get there as soon as possible. His eyes dart back into the floor level’s screen, he just past the 17<sup>th</sup> floor.</p><p><em>“Y-Y-Youngbin, what the hell is happening…!?”</em> She asks desperately. Youngbin feels his heart is wracked with guilt when he hears her crying. She must be scared shitless and he hates how that reminds him of his failure. <em>“He’s inside–he’s inside the living room! He was shooting at the door!! Is he trying to kill me!?”</em></p><p>“Shit. Don’t come out there no matter what!” Youngbin warns, not like he doesn’t know Junko would do the opposite but he really can’t think of anything else to comfort her right now, “I’m in the lift! Hold on!!” He adds quickly, hoping she will believe that she’s going to be safe.</p><p>Youngbin’s eyes never leave the lift’s screen. He <em>needs </em>to hear the bell rings. Then God seems to hear his prayer. He’s immediately on high alert, readily standing close to the gate. As soon as the lift’s door opened halfway, Youngbin slips through and run as fast as he can to room number 204. He sees some residents are coming out from their rooms to see what’s going on. Must because they heard the gunshot. Paying them no mind, his feet keep on sprinting forward. He needs to be as fast as possible before the police come in.</p><p>Finally stopping at Junko’s front door, he sees the door handle is completely busted from the gunshot. It’s barbaric he thinks. Youngbin never thought that goddamn hitman would be this brave in a public residency. Pushing the heavy door with his body, Youngbin runs inside to the living room and immediately spots the way towards Junko’s bedroom for that criminal is standing right in the middle of the door frame. He needs a weapon because his gun was taken by Suho. His eyes dart to the kitchen that is located in the same area. Without much more thinking, Youngbin runs to the aisle and grabs a knife in the rack. Turning back and then going sharp to his right, Youngbin sprints towards the hitman and then jump to stab his knife into the hitman’s shoulder blade.</p><p>“ARGH!”</p><p>Pulling out the knife again, Youngbin jumps back to keep a safe distance. He sees Junko behind the big man, her watery eyes are looking at him in shock and disbelieve. That’s the moment where Youngbin regrettably knows everything isn’t normal anymore. She’s seen everything.</p><p>“You…” The assassin’s gruff voice seethes through his clenched teeth, “the escort.” He grins, knowing all this time his suspicion is right.</p><p>“<b>Stay the fuck away from her.</b>” Youngbin warns. His voice is uncharacteristically cold, unlike what he’s been using towards Junko. He has nothing to hide anymore now that she’s finally exposed to the danger and the secret he’s been keeping.</p><p>His enemy merely chuckles. The pain of his stab wound seems to be nonexistent for him.</p><p>“Kim Youngbin, The Iron Fist, Ruska Roma’s brat.”</p><p>“Good, you know who you’re messing with,” Youngbin scoffs, “I know your face. You’re Darian. I’ve seen you in the ring.”</p><p>“It’s a pleasure to make it in your memory, <em>oh</em> champion.” He sneers. “It’s such a shame that we have to meet outside the ring… in this situation.”</p><p>“Yeah. Too bad I haven’t had the chance to fuck you up.” Youngbin lowers his stature, the kitchen knife he was holding is thrown away to the bedroom’s opened toilet. For a moment that confuses Jun. She doesn’t understand why in the world would Youngbin throw away his only weapon. Then as if telling her not to worry anymore, his hands reach the inside of his jacket’s pockets, bringing out a set of white bandages.</p><p>“Ooh…” Darian shakes his head. “As expected of what a wrestling champion would do, I guess.”</p><p>The said champion pays him no mind as he quickly ties the rough bandages around his knuckles, covering his whole palms and then tying the knot on his wrists.</p><p>“Let’s make this quick.”</p><p>As much as she is terrified, she is also in awe with the sight. Youngbin seems to look… really strong. Those pair of dirty bandages seem to be just right around his hands, it feels natural. And the fact that she’s going to witness a fistfight makes her feel even nervous. Her spot isn’t exactly safe either. She doesn’t know what to do but standing still.</p><p>“Didn’t you see the door?” The guy grins and then waving off his little toy, “What makes you think that you’re going to be quicker than-“</p><p>Without warning, Youngbin grabs a glass vase on his right and then throws it towards Darian’s direction. Caught off guard, Darian uses his arms to shield himself from the impact. The vase shatters into pieces, the water and flowers falling unceremoniously towards the floor.</p><p>“Fuck!!” The big man hisses, definitely not liking the surprise. He’s giving a window for Youngbin to attack before he regains his standing. In one breath, Youngbin takes a quick step and sends a hard jab towards Darian’s defenseless stomach. A painful scream comes out from his lungs. He feels his stomach is on fire and his innards are all scrambled. The impact is enough to weaken his grip on his gun as Youngbin sees it falls down from his grasp. Taking his chance, Youngbin catches the gun and then throws it to Junko who is in front of him.</p><p>“Jun, catch!!”</p><p>“E-eh!?”</p><p>Not given the chance to complain, Junko catches the gun that her guide throws at her with her both hands. It feels heavy on her hands, her eyes are a bit entranced. She doesn’t know whether it is because of her first time holding a gun or it’s the weight of the danger of the thing. She’s so afraid that she will accidentally pull the trigger.</p><p>“Go up to the bed and run back into the living room, put the gun inside your bag! Now!!” Youngbin orders, waking her up from her daze. Her mouth feels like it’s dried up. Not being able to answer anything, Junko only frantically nods and does what he said. She jumps on to her bed, runs towards the edge, jumps back down and then runs past behind Youngbin’s back towards her living room. With a shaky hand, Jun puts the gun she’s holding to the inside of her sling bag. She feels like a criminal. She just put that guy’s weapon inside <em>her </em>bag. It’s not hers yet it still feels so illegal.</p><p>Youngbin’s attention hasn’t left his target. His mind is racing. He needs to knock him down just enough to give them the time to run away. Killing him here in Jun’s apartment won’t be a wise choice. They’ll get too much attention and it will be hard for Jun later on. That one punch to his stomach is not enough, Youngbin knows that. That is why he’s preparing for a retaliation.</p><p>“You son of a bitch…” Darian growls whilst grabbing on his scorching stomach, “They ain’t joking, naming you the Iron Fist.” He grins amusingly.</p><p>As much as he finds that grin annoying, Youngbin doesn’t want to waste any more time. He goes in for another attack, this time he’s aiming towards his jaw. Not only wanting to make his enemy loses his balance, but the brunette also wants to make sure he can’t smile anymore. Darian dodges it just by a hairline. His knuckle barely grazes his cheek. The force is so strong that he could hear the sound of Youngbin’s fist ringing through his ear. No more playing games.</p><p>Darian runs in like a bull. He pushes Youngbin’s shoulders onto the mattress, pinning his neck down with his superior weight and then punches his face. The hit is on point, but it is not enough to bring him down. Clenching his teeth to suck the pain, Youngbin pulls Darian’s collar and then hit his face with his other hand. He can hear the sound of bone cracking upon impact. Thick blood is spouting from the man’s mouth, some falling onto the Iron Fist’s shirt. His choke gets weaker on Youngbin’s neck, giving him a chance to break free. He then pushes Darian away from him, giving space to stand back up from the bed. A bit dizzy from lacking air before but he doesn’t pay any mind to it. Youngbin grabs Darian’s skull and then pushes him onto the wall. The force he’s using is strong enough to knock Darian out cold without killing him. His body slowly slides down to the floor with a thud, giving Youngbin the confirmation he needs.</p><p>Youngbin doesn’t realize he’s spent a lot of energy until he heavily pants. Darian is big and too tall, around 190cm. It takes more toll on him than his other opponents.</p><p>However, he wins. For now.</p><p>The brunette huffs and then relaxes his fists. He then crouches down looking at the unconscious body and begins searching for Darian’s phone. Soon he finds it easily from inside of his jeans.</p><p>“Alright.” Youngbin sighs and keeps the stolen phone inside his jacket. Now’s the time to run.</p><p>With hasty steps, Youngbin goes into the living room, finding Junko hiding behind the sofa. She looks just like a kitten in fear, confused and scared. He believes that the girl isn’t just scared of the situation but probably at him as well.</p><p>“Junko, let’s go.”</p><p>“Wh-where are we going?”</p><p>“Somewhere safer than here. We don’t have much time. Come with me.”</p><p>“Sh-shouldn’t we wait for the police…?”</p><p>“Do you want to get into more trouble than we already have?”</p><p>“No—but—”</p><p>“Jun, please.”</p><p>Youngbin’s eyes speak for themselves. He’s begging her to trust him. They don’t have much time and Jun’s doubt is the last thing he needs to deal with right now.</p><p>Jun can see that. The last message from her mother 30 minutes ago rings back. <em>If anything happens, call Youngbin</em>. That message may or may not be meant for this situation, but looking at the fight before her eyes, she can conclude Youngbin… isn’t just an ordinary escort. However, she is still in shock. There’s blood in her bedroom, even her kitchen knife was used to stab someone. Isn’t waiting for the authorities a wise move?</p><p>“What if the police chase us!? We can just tell them that it was self-defense, right?”</p><p>“Jun, this is something more than what the police can handle. Please, trust me.”</p><p>Junko bites her lip in frustration. She doesn’t understand what he meant by that. Is she involved in something deeper? Is Youngbin as dangerous as the man he beat up? It’s impossible to know the answers by herself. Knowing how blind she is with the situation, Jun finally gives up. She has decided.</p><p>“…I will trust you,” She pauses, her dark brown eyes bore into Youngbin’s, “…but only if you promise you will explain <b>everything</b>to me.”</p><p>“I promise,” Youngbin replies with no hesitation. He has nothing to lose anymore. “Now let’s go, we have to hurry. Get your bag.”</p><hr/><p>Jun is tired. Very tired. It’s almost midnight and her late-night has been <em>too </em>wild for her comfort. The third day in New York and someone legit came to kill her. And now, sitting in the front with her <em>escort </em>driving to somewhere <em>safe</em>. She can’t imagine what’s safer than staying in the police’s custody. Gun is free to have in the states and that reality just hit her an hour ago. She’s seen that lots of times in the movies and by reading the news but Jun never expected to actually witness someone carrying it, let alone using it to get into her apartment!</p><p>As much as she wants to ask everything, Jun just want to stay silent until they arrive. She’s too stressed to process everything. Or maybe she just doesn’t have the strength to speak first.</p><p>She may not notice, but she has a pair of worried eyes looking at her sideways, wishing they weren’t so careless to let her experience this.</p><p>“You’re not gonna ask me anything?” A warm voice breaks the silence.</p><p>“…Where are we going?”</p><p>“The Continental.”</p><p>“What?” Jun raises an eyebrow.</p><p>“The Continental is a hotel that caters hospitality needs for… criminals.” Youngbin hesitantly finishes, expecting Junko to not take it very well.</p><p>“<em>Criminals? </em>Did I hear you right?Then why are we going there!? Isn’t that unsafe!?”</p><p>“No, it’s the exact opposite.” Youngbin gives an assuring smile, hoping the gesture won’t offend his client, “The Continental is a neutral place in the crime underworld. The one rule that we must obey there is to not conduct any crime activities.”</p><p>It takes a while for Jun to respond. ‘Crime underworld’? ‘Neutral place’? What is it all about the crime? Is Youngbin a part of this <em>underworld </em>thing? She’s too confused and can’t conclude anything other than… absurd.</p><p>“I… I’m sorry but that sounds… very ridiculous…”</p><p>“Once we get there you’ll understand. I’ll explain more after we arrive.” He then pauses to look at Jun, his eyes burning into hers and they seem to be brilliant under the street lights. “I promise I’ll keep you safe.”</p><p>For a moment there Junko feels strangely touched. His promise feels so genuine and at the same time, apologetic. She doesn’t understand why that is. It feels like everything has been planned the moment she set her feet on New York. She has so many more questions within her bustling mind, but for now, she wants to see the place where he says to be safe. And she prays he’s right.</p><p>Then, the rain pours down.</p><hr/><p>Slowing down in front of the designated location, they have arrived in front of a unique building. It’s located in the middle of a crossroad. It’s tall but also shaped like a triangle if you look from up high. A single front door is the only way in which is kind of weird for Jun to see. Usually a hotel doesn’t look like this? But there is a bellboy standing by with an umbrella coming to open her door.</p><p>“O-oh, thank you.” Says Jun as she steps outside to walk through the rain under the bellboy’s care.</p><p>Youngbin takes off his seatbelt before he also steps out of the car. There’s no umbrella on him but he doesn’t really care. A little soak won’t hurt, it’s just water anyway. Passing the bellboy, he gives him his car key for valet. Upon entering The Continental, he’s greeted with cold air and warm lights from the chandelier. Despite of the late hour, the hall is still lively with people dressed in black. It feels so surreal. The gothic-themed interior and the people make everything seems unreal. Jun wonders if everyone here is criminals just like what Youngbin said. She finds that hard to believe at first, but now that she’s here she can see how possible that is. Just now Jun could swear she saw one with a bloodied face just walked past her—and limping?</p><p>“Oh my God, Youngbin is he okay—"</p><p>“He will be.” Youngbin puts his hand behind her back as a protective gesture, “Let’s worry about ourselves first. Come here.” He says, urging her to walk with him and to quit drawing attention.</p><p>As they’re walking towards the receptionist, Jun can’t help but to look around. As an unfamiliar face, moreover an Asian, she’s unknowingly drawing attention from these shady people. Her heart beats faster than usual. She’s too nervous. She feels like she doesn’t belong and rather than visiting, it feels like she’s intruding.</p><p>“Youngbin,” Jun whispers as low as she can, “Are they all… criminals?”</p><p>Youngbin nods, “…Assassins. Yes. But not all of them.”</p><p><em>“Still criminals then!?” </em>Junko deadpans within her mind, “…Do they know you?”</p><p>“Some of them I do recognize. But we’re not here to greet them.”</p><p>“R—right…”</p><p>Upon standing by the receptionist, they’re welcomed by a tall black man in glasses. His navy suits hug his body perfectly, looking dapper and expensive. He looks at his new guests with a warm welcoming smile.</p><p>“Welcome back, Iron Fist. It has been a while.” His low baritone voice surprises Jun. She didn’t expect him to sound like typical butlers in the movies but he did sound like that. “Also, good evening to you miss.”</p><p>Youngbin smiles back politely, “It has been a while, Charon.”</p><p>“How may I help you, sir?”</p><p>Pulling his hand away from Jun’s back, Youngbin opens his brown bag to find something. Junko is curiously watching him, wondering what is he trying to find. Is it his wallet? For a second there Jun is worried if he doesn’t have the money to pay so she’s already prepared to help him out in that problem. She takes a glance towards Charon to see what he’s up to, but the gentleman patiently waits with a professional smile. He realizes the girl is looking at him but to spare her embarrassment he decided not to look back.</p><p>Then, what comes out from that brown bag baffles Junko to no end.</p><p>A gold coin with an intricate design sculpted on the face.</p><p>“…Wait, what is that?” Junko can’t help but ask.</p><p>Charon raises an eyebrow at the girl before he takes the coin, “Oh? It seems like you’re bringing a clueless doe with you, Mr. Kim.” His eyes glinted in amusement.</p><p>“Yeah… It’s an emergency. She got caught up in the situation.”</p><p>“Happens all the time, sir. I am sorry to hear that.” The gentleman nods in understanding, “How many days will you be staying?”</p><p>“3 days, please.”</p><p>“Understood.” Charon takes the gold coin and then proceeds to register the room number. It doesn’t take long before he gives them a black card for the room key. It looks elegant with golden insignia adorning the design. “Here is your key, sir. Your room number is 412 in the 4<sup>th</sup> floor. Don’t hesitate to call our room service anytime you need.”</p><p>“Thanks, Charon.” Says Youngbin as he takes the key card. His hand goes to Jun’s little back again, urging her to follow him. Before she left, the girl didn’t forget to bow her head to show her gratitude. When she catches Charon grinning amusingly she couldn’t help but to feel dumb inside. She’s convinced that man was feeling sorry for her.</p><p>“Ah, Mr. Kim!”</p><p>Youngbin turns his head around to see what’s with the sudden call.</p><p>“I almost forgot to remind you. We do provide free laundry service. Just in case you want dry and clean garments by tomorrow morning.”</p><p>Hearing that makes Youngbin feel self-conscious as he takes a look at his own body. Charon’s right. He is soaked and he just realized there are some blood blotches on his collar. Definitely not going to look fine in public.</p><p>Youngbin only gives him a tight smile and nod, “Right. I’ll call you later, Charon.”</p><hr/><p>Stepping inside their room, Jun can smell a refreshing scent welcoming her gently. The smell surprisingly reminds her of the airplane interiors she took to come here. Airplane’s scent is actually one of her favorite smells. It makes the whole space feels clean and proper to her, just like this room. The whole interior looks lavish. They’re all designed in royal vintage concept, making the room looks like a prince’s bedroom. She wonders if all of the rooms in this hotel look like this or is the coin from before worth this much?</p><p>That reminds her, another question.</p><p>“Jun.”</p><p>Her escort calls her before she can do it first, “Yes, Young—”</p><p>The moment she turns around, Youngbin is already standing close to her. His knitted eyebrows are showing concern. His lips are formed in a thin line, keeping words that are to be or not to be told. He’s making her feel self-conscious and nervous. She just realized that they’re alone, in a hotel room. Her eyes linger to the bed on her left.</p><p>It’s a single king-sized bed.</p><p>Her mind is buzzing with thoughts she shouldn’t have. Her chest beats too fast in response that she’s sure her heart will jump out of her mouth. But then from her peripheral vision, Jun sees a hand is trying to reach out to her face. The girl flinches before that bloodied hand touches her, making the man stops in midway. Looking at his widened eyes, Jun suddenly feels guilty. He just protected her an hour ago, promised her that he would keep her safe. Yet her body seems to be still staying on alert. Jun hates how she can’t trust him completely now.</p><p>“Wh-what is it…?” Jun hesitantly asks.</p><p>Youngbin stays silent for a while. His hand that’s still hovering near her skin reluctantly goes back to his side. He doesn’t want to scare her more than he already did.</p><p>“Are you hurt anywhere? Any scratches?”</p><p>“…No, I’m not hurt. It’s you who we should worry about. You’re the one who fought to death back there.”</p><p>“Fought to <em>death?” </em>Youngbin chuckles, “That was nothing, Junko. I’m okay.”</p><p>“Look at your hands! They don’t look fine to me!”</p><p>“They’re alright.” Youngbin smiles, “It’s not my blood.”</p><p>Not his blood. That sentence makes her feel uneasy. It reminds her again of the fact that Youngbin is not someone she expected. The guy is way, way, more than he looks like. Outside of that kind and warm exterior, Youngbin is secretly someone who those people call the Iron Fist. What’s the deal with that nickname anyway?</p><p>“There are spare pajamas in the wardrobe. Go ahead if you want to change.” Youngbin offers as he points at the wardrobe near the bathroom. “I’ll take a quick shower while you do.”</p><p>“…Okay.”</p><p>The man leaves her to tend to her own business as he walks inside the bathroom. After he closes the door, Junko lets out a bottled up sigh. She’s dead tired and she just wants a good sleep. She’s contemplating whether she should start talking to him tonight. Poor girl can’t even get her eyes wholly opened up. She’s very sure the moment her head falls onto the pillow, she would fall asleep like a log.</p><p>Her clothing feels heavy and uncomfortable on her body. Thankfully the hotel gives a pajama for their guests. Junko wonders if that’s because they have seen a lot of cases like Youngbin who checks in with their clothing soaked in sweats and blood. She praises the service they’re giving to these… <em>assassins</em>, as what Youngbin called them. With heavy steps, Junko walks towards the wardrobe to get her pajama. She takes it out along with the hanger and then she puts it on the bed. She begins to strip away her clothing, leaving nothing but her undergarments. She wonders if she should take off her bra as well because that’s what she usually does before she sleeps. But since she’s not alone tonight, she decides it’s better to keep it on.</p><p>The black pajama feels very comfortable on her skin. The texture of the cotton doesn’t feel itchy and rough. It feels like one of her own. She hopes she will get a good sleep tonight. Sitting on the bedside, Junko charges up her phone. She wonders if the accident from before shows up on the news, so she starts typing the name of her apartment on Google.</p><p>“…Nothing. Huh, that’s weird?”</p><p>There is literally no news regarding of what happened an hour ago. People should’ve seen that, yet it didn’t get viral.</p><p>Suddenly the bathroom’s door opens without warning, making Junko once again flinches from the sound. She hates how easily she gets surprised by everything.</p><p>What she sees next renders her speechless.</p><p>It’s Youngbin, half-naked and wet from head to toe. A pair of jeans is the only saving grace for her sanity. The first thing she notices is how toned his body is and how it’s adorned with many tattoos. A big one on the side of his body, a small text on his chest, and…</p><p>“…Your back…” The girl unknowingly mutters out loud.</p><p>Youngbin, taking a new shirt from the wardrobe frowns before he quickly wears the garment to hide his marks. He heard that soft whisper and he’s scared to see her face would be full of grimace.</p><p>“I’m sorry. I forgot to bring the new shirt with me. Didn’t mean to let you see that.” Youngbin smiles awkwardly as he turns around to see Jun. Surprisingly, he doesn’t find that grimace he expected. “…Junko?”</p><p>“O-oh. There’s nothing to be sorry for. I’m just… surprised to see you have so many tattoos. You’ve never really shown them…”</p><p>“Oh, you’re right. I don’t have any on my arms and legs. Mostly just on my torso so yeah…”</p><p>“Did it hurt?”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“Getting those tattoos,” Junko points her finger at Youngbin, “Did it hurt?”</p><p>A bit befuddled by the seemingly innocent question, Youngbin blinks several times before he eventually lets out a burst of roaring laughter.</p><p>“Wh-what!?” The girl’s flustered with embarrassment. She thinks she said something weird. Yet that burst of laughter doesn’t fail to make her feel funny in her tummy.</p><p>“Nothing, I’m sorry—pfft!” Youngbin tries to hold it in but fails to do so. Takes him just a moment to calm down, a smile is etched beautifully on his glowing face that’s still fresh from his shower. Walking slowly towards the edge of the bed near Junko, he sits down near her thighs, giving her a look that’s too kind for Junko to understand. She’s too entranced by his face that she doesn’t mind when his hand reaches for her head, giving her a warm pat, just like he did in the lobby today.</p><p>“It did hurt.” Youngbin finally answers, “But I had no choice.”</p><p>Confused by his statement, Junko wonders what’s making him giving her a sad look. She doesn’t get him at all. His behavior feels too random for Junko, yet she can feel his sincerity. The man may be hiding so many things from her, but he never pretends to be kind to her. As much as the rough hand that lingers on her face comforts her, the words that he uttered scares her almost the same. She’s afraid that she’s trespassing his territory, but unfortunately, her curiosity wins over her.</p><p>“What do you mean you ‘had no choice’?”</p><p>His lips form a thin line. The things he’s going to tell her are going to be relatable to what’s trying to kill her. He needs to make sure that Jun is ready to know.</p><p>“Are you ready to hear the truth, then?”</p><p>With a determined look, the light-haired girl nods. “…Yes.”</p><p>
  <em>To be continued</em>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Onward</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <em>Surrounded by darkness, his small feet run desperately. Water puddles splashing under his worn-out shoes, making noises that don’t comfort him at all for his fear blocks his hearings over his surrounding except for a chilling gruff voice.</em>
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  <em>“YOUNGBIN! GET THE FUCK BACK OVER HERE!”</em>
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  <em>Panting heavily, Youngbin doesn’t let that feral scream stops him. He doesn’t want to go back to that monster. He’s done with all of the pain. Tonight is about his life and death. </em>
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  <em>The road seems to be never-ending. He hopes to find anyone, any person to help him to get away. But it’s 2 AM in the middle of the night. Not many cars in Syracuse are going out and he doesn’t see any policemen standing around. The boy curses his fate. Could tonight possibly be the day when he will finally lose his life? His lungs are starting to giving up on him. The man chasing behind doesn’t slow down at all. Fear is the only source of his adrenaline rush; survival instinct is his only ally. Not too far from his position, he sees a gas station nearby. There is a crossroad ahead and the green light shows it’s okay to cross. Not like it matters to him if it doesn’t, the road is as empty as the fridge in his ‘home’. </em>
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  <em>“YOU LITTLE SHIT! YOU CAN’T ESCAPE FROM ME!”</em>
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  <em>That threatening scream is starting to get closer to him, yet it is drowned within the sound of his thumping heart and tired breaths that he doesn’t realize screeching wheels coming from his far left. The moment his little feet finally reach the other side of the road, oddly everything seems to change. He cannot hear that heavy boots again. He cannot hear that monstrous scream again. Little Youngbin thought his ears can only hear those two sounds, so when he wonders why it suddenly becomes silent, he dares to look behind to see what’s wrong.</em>
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  <em>A black car is there with his fear laying motionlessly covered in blood.</em>
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  <em>“…Dad…”</em>
</p><hr/><p>” …So my parents have been… involved in criminal activities?”</p><p>“Not directly, but yes.”</p><p>“And you and Suho are assassins from an orphanage that puts up a ballet theater as a disguise of their crimes and then sent out to protect me from my father’s mad business rival?”</p><p>The man merely nods. He doesn’t need to utter a word when she answered him like that, she gets everything.</p><p>“…I want to say that you were joking but considering what has happened for the past few hours, it’s enough to know that you’re not,” The woman lets out a long sigh that she has been holding on for too long, “Damn…”</p><p>Youngbin doesn’t dare to speak a word. After explaining everything to Junko, his throat feels like it’s dried up to the bone. He’s done the thing that he mustn’t do. Revealing the problem. However, it’s odd how the first thing he’s concerned with is the woman in front of him. He’s worried about her in a way that he can’t describe. Thinking about her first days in New York going downhill with the events from tonight brings him a pang of guilt. More so as a man who hates losing, Youngbin truly curses himself for failing his order.</p><p>“How did you know I was attacked?”</p><p>Her voice stops his train of thoughts like the thunder roaring outside of the rain. Fidgeting between his thumbs, Youngbin wonders if he should tell her the truth about this one.</p><p>“Youngbin?” Jun asks again. She’s starting to question his weird behavior.</p><p>Staring at the window that’s painted with rain drops, Youngbin’s mind wonders back into the time of the accident. “It was Jaeyoon,” he answers, “The doctor that you met in the bar.”</p><p>The woman blinks a few times in confusion. “Jaeyoon? But how come?”</p><p>“He called me soon after I dropped you off in the lobby. I was on my way back to report things,” his deep brown eyes never left the window and the rain, “He told me that they got Junm—I mean—Suho hyung. The man who tried to harm you before was tailing us when we drove back to the apartment.”</p><p>“What do you mean!? Is Suho okay!?”</p><p>“He got shot.” The statement brings out a loud gasp from Jun’s mouth. “Whether or not he’s okay, I will have to check up on him later. I hope he is.”</p><p>Biting the inside of her cheeks, Junko is trying her best to hold in her anger. Even with the whole explanation Youngbin gave her, she still feels like being left in the dark. “What the hell exactly happened after we left that bar, Youngbin?”</p><p>“Jaeyoon told us he saw someone had been watching us from the other side of the road. Me and Suho hyung wanted to take them out first before it becomes a problem. We agreed to part ways, I trusted him to go at it alone. Turns out it was a deliberate plan to separate him and me. It would be easier for them to kill us if I were alone to protect you.” The brunette sighs before he continues again, “Thankfully… Jaeyoon was there to help him. He is currently in Jaeyoon’s care.”</p><p>Junko’s frown hasn’t left her exhausted face. Knowing someone is actually hurt because of her, she doesn’t feel good about it. More over even though it’s hard for her to admit it, she’s already thought of Suho as her friend. Knowing a good person actually went out his way to protect her even though she knows it’s just his job, it doesn’t stop Junko from feeling that way. Right now, she feels conflicted of how she should feel. Everyone she cares about is involved with bad things. Because of that <em>she’s </em>involved as well even though she knew nothing about it.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Jun.”</p><p>That sudden apology snaps Junko out of her mind. “…What for?”</p><p>Biting his lip, Youngbin speaks slowly, “I’m sorry for hiding things from you and let harm befalls you,” he tightens his fist on the bed sheet, “I was careless. I promise it will not happen again. <strong>I will protect you.</strong>”</p><p>His determined eyes and calm voice put her in a trance. Jun can feel there is something more into those words. She doesn’t dare to assume but she knows the warmth of that promise is true.</p><p>
  <em>“If anything happens, call your escort.”</em>
</p><p>That message rings even louder now than before.</p><hr/><p>Waking up from his nap on the couch, Youngbin sluggishly takes his phone by the table to see the time.</p><p>“3:15…” He mutters as his eyes squint from the bright screen.</p><p>Rubbing his eyes, the man walks lazily into the bathroom to wash his face. When the cold water hits him, Youngbin can feel it pulling out his sleepy consciousness away. The man feels reluctant to be awake. Yet, there is something more important he has to do while the woman he’s taking care of is fast asleep. Putting both of his hands by the table, the Iron Fist stares at his reflection on the mirror. The water that’s dripping from his bangs brings tiny echoes once it hits the ceramic sink. He needs to get himself together.</p><p>Walking out of the bathroom, Youngbin is checking Junko who’s sleeping soundly at the bed. He can see the blanket that’s hugging her going up and down. It seems like she’s sleeping well. Seeing that makes Youngbin unknowingly smiles. He’s glad to know she’s tired enough to be that deep in her slumber. Walking towards the table by the couch where he slept, he takes his bag and phone away and slings them on his back. When his attention goes to the window, he realizes that the rain has stopped.</p><p>After making sure he has brought everything, Youngbin walks back slowly towards the bed, afraid to make any sound that would wake the woman up. When he’s close enough to see her face, the man squats down to see her much more clearly.</p><p>“…Looking at you like this; I’ve never realized just how pretty you are…” He whispers silently that he hopes even God can’t hear him. Staring at her sleeping face in adoration, Youngbin can’t stop his calloused hand from brushing her falling strands of hair away from her cheek, “Sleep well, Jun. I’ll be back.”</p><p>With that, the Iron Fist stands back up and walks away towards the door. He needs to check up on his brother.</p><hr/><p>Parking his car by the sidewalk, Youngbin grabs his bag and then gets out and be greeted with cold night winds. The road is empty but the warm colored lights are still on to accompany him. Looking around his area, the man checks his surrounding to see if anyone follows him. His eyes are trained enough to see in the dark and he knows no one’s suspicious enough in his proximity. Walking to the alleyway beyond the sidewalk, it gets really wet under his feet. The sound of water splashing reminds him of a certain memory that he prefers not to call back at times like now. His brother is his number one concern.</p><p>Turning to the left, he sees a red rusty door on a brick-walled building. A single light flickers on top of it. He continues to briskly walking towards the door and then knocks exactly 5 times upon his reach. After several seconds, a small rectangle window on the door frame opens and reveal a pair of black-slit eyes. After confirming who’s his guest, the resident closes the window again and then follows with the sound of door unlocking. It reveals Jaeyoon in his white coat and duck slippers.</p><p>“How is he?” Youngbin immediately asks as he steps inside the house.</p><p>“The bullet shot through his shoulder, but he’s fine,” The doctor explains as they continue to walk briskly through the corridor, “If I wasn’t there to shoot the guy first it would’ve been his heart.”</p><p>They both soon arrive inside a dim-lit room. It’s spacious enough to hold 2 beds and a bookcase that is filled with bottles and documents. A table is visible with surgical tools. They appear to be used recently, a proof of the doctor has been treating a man in his house. Youngbin sees someone is sleeping on the bed by the wall. Recognizing the pants they’re wearing, Youngbin is sure that person is his brother.</p><p>Walking closer towards the bed to confirm, Youngbin can finally see the face he’s been expecting. His brother, Junmyeon, is sleeping soundly. The injured man’s topless torso is covered with bandages. His breathing looks to be a little ragged, but that is the side effect of suppressing the pain.</p><p>“Oh, thank goodness…” Youngbin sighs as he closes his eyes, “Jaeyoon, thank you so much.” He adds.</p><p>“You are welcome, old friend.” Jaeyoon smiles, “I gave him enough pain killer to help him sleep. But I’m afraid he’s not going to be able to fight for awhile.”</p><p>“That’s alright. I can handle the rest. Jun’s staying with me until the work is done, I won’t let her attend her college. Junmyeon hyung’s role isn’t needed anymore.”</p><p>“I see…” Jaeyoon nods in acknowledgement. Wanting to speak more, the dark-haired doctor hisses, feeling bad about the thing he’s going to say, “By the way, Youngbin. I really hate to ask of this to you, but—”</p><p>“I know, Jaeyoon. I came prepared.” The Iron Fist cuts him first to save his friend from the discomfort. He opens his brown bag to pull out a gold coin. The same one that he used in The Continental, “Here.” He says as he gives the coin.</p><p>“Thanks,” Jaeyoon grins and takes the coin from his friend’s calloused hand, “You know what the adjudicator would do to me tomorrow if he knows I saved your best pal without this.” He sighs as his hand move that coin around as if it’s nothing but trouble.</p><p>Youngbin merely chuckles, knowing well what would happen if that scenario does come true. It’s not pretty that’s for sure.</p><p>“Make sure he’s staying here until he’s well enough. Knowing that idiot, he would still try to go even when he can’t wear his own shoes.”</p><p>“You bet.” Jaeyoon grins. His deep dimples show deeply under the cool light. “Where are you going after this?”</p><p>“The Bowery.”</p><hr/><p>Fluttering her eyes open, Junko can see the morning light’s seeping through the curtain. Her eyes are still heavy but her brain is telling her to wake up now. Stretching her legs under the soft blanket, she turns her back away from the window and tries to go back to her peaceful slumber again. If anyone could see her now, no one would expect what happened to her night. It appears like when it comes to sleep, Junko doesn’t let anything disturb her.</p><p>Yet something does bother her. Turning her head to see the couch by the window, she realizes her escort isn’t there.</p><p>“Youngbin?” She tries calling out.</p><p>The bathroom seems to be empty as well. There’s no sound of water running. Thinking perhaps the man is going out alone on his own, Junko only sighs and then goes back to her sleep. She’s not that worried, perhaps too lax for her current situation. But she can’t help it. When it comes to sleep, her mother needed to drag her foot out of the bed once to get her to school. However, it isn’t only about her drowsiness. She believes he will come back to her.</p><p>Starting to slowly doze off back to her dreamland, suddenly she’s woken up by a door unlocking by itself. Her mind jumps out on alert. Her eyes that were heavy are now open to see who’s coming in.</p><p>“Where did you go…?” Junko asks lazily. But her mouth hangs open in confusion when she sees the one who’s coming in isn’t her companion, “Who are you?”</p><p>Wholly stepping inside then closes the door behind them, the unknown person answers with a sweet smile.</p><p>“Good morning, Junko. The name’s So Ra. I’m Youngbin’s friend from Ruska Roma. Nice to meet you.”</p><p>Feeling dumbfounded, Junko sits upright to process her morning better. A stranger woman in red hoodie walks uninvited inside. And then she’s claiming to be her guardian’s friend? Where is Youngbin? She can’t just trust her out of the blue. That So Ra can just be anyone. The Continental is a place where Youngbin said all criminals are not allowed to attack each other. What if this woman is one of those people who’s after her head?</p><p>“Where is Youngbin?” Jun sternly asks. Her knitted eyebrows show that she’s not feeling friendly right now.</p><p>“I can’t tell you where he is right now, but feel free to call him to confirm about me.” So Ra replies, still standing by the door. She won’t walk another step unless she’s sure Jun can trust her.</p><p>Cautiously taking up the stranger’s offer, Jun picks up the phone by the nightstand. Her deep brown eyes don’t leave So Ra just yet, afraid that the woman in ponytail would do something funny. Searching for Youngbin’s name in her recent calls, she then finds it on top of the list and calls him immediately. It only takes her two rings before the man picks it up.</p><p>“Where are you!?” Jun rises her voice out of fear, “I woke up and you’re not here. Why did you leave!?”</p><p>There’s a pause greeting her instead of his warm voice. Jun almost lashes out again but the moment she opens her mouth, that voice answers her. <em>“Hey Jun, I’m sorry I didn’t want to wake you up. There’s something I gotta do to track Doyle. How’s your sleep?”</em></p><p>“Are you serious? You’re asking me that right now?” The woman’s annoyed with his indifferent attitude, but a part of her feels soft towards his attentive personality, “Where are you, Youngbin?” she sighs.</p><p>
  <em>“Central Park. Anyway Jun, is someone named So Ra currently with you?”</em>
</p><p>“Right! That’s why I’m calling you! Who is she?”</p><p>
  <em>“Relax, she’s not our enemy. Can you turn on the speaker for me?”</em>
</p><p>“Ugh…” Pulling away the phone, she turns on the speaker as she stares at the stranger who’s still standing idly—and whistling? The nerve! “…It’s on.” She begrudgingly says.</p><p>
  <em>“Hey, So Ra.”</em>
</p><p>“’Sup Youngbin. A little help to persuade her would be nice.” The woman in red chuckles.</p><p>
  <em>“Jun, So Ra is my friend from Ruska Roma. She’s there as a backup in case Suho hyung got hurt. I visited him this morning at Jaeyoon’s and he’s in no condition to protect you. So Ra will be his replacement to help me.” </em>
</p><p>“I-I see…” The light-haired woman mutters feeling a little relieved, “If you say so, Youngbin. Just… please come back.”</p><p>Another silence comes. The worried woman thought the line got disconnected, but hearing the sound of cars going by from where Youngbin is seems to tell her that isn’t the case.</p><p>“Youngbin?” Junko calls again.</p><p>
  <em>“O-oh, yeah. I’ll be back, don’t worry. You’re safe with So Ra.”</em>
</p><p>“But you will still come back right?”</p><p>
  <em>“…I will, Jun. You’re still my responsibility.”</em>
</p><p>“…Okay. I’ll be waiting. Be safe, don’t do anything reckless.”</p><p><em>“I can’t promise you that but I’ll try.” </em>Youngbin chuckles in amusement. If his client were to ask his friends in the orphanage, he bets she would be surprised by how much he’s doing the opposite is in a fight. <em>“Alright, make sure to eat breakfast downstairs with So Ra. Don’t go alone. I’ll be off. See you later, Jun.”</em></p><p>“Mm. See you later.” Turning off her phone, Junko sighs. She looks back towards So Ra who’s looking back at her with a friendly smile, hoping Junko can accept her to protect her. Jun closes her eyes and then nod with a smile. That’s enough confirmation for the other woman to finally walks further inside the room and sits down comfortably on the bed.</p><p>“Hungry?” So Ra asks as she tilts her head.</p><p>“Very.”</p><hr/><p>Putting his phone away to his jacket, Youngbin looks around his surroundings as he sits on the wooden bench with a coffee. There are a lot of families hanging out here, pigeons flying, kids playing balls and kites, it’s a lively public space. He’s a bit jealous of their ignorance. He wishes he could have that much spare time right now, preferably with Jun, considering his brief conversation just now. Pulling out a piece of paper from his jeans, Youngbin takes a look at the hasty hand writing on it.</p><p>
  <em>Central Park, 8:10 AM, wooden bench on the south side near the trash can.</em>
</p><p>He lifts up his left wrist to check his watch. It’s 5 minutes before the designated time. Sipping his coffee to wash away his drowsiness, Youngbin continues to look at the scenery to see any sign of person he’s supposed to meet now.</p><p>“Iron Fist?” A sudden female voice from behind surprises him too much that he almost takes out his gun. But before he can, the friendly smiling face that’s greeting him stops him from doing so.</p><p>“Did Bowery King send you?”</p><p>Walking to the front of the bench, the black woman sits down comfortably before she introduces herself, “Yes. My codename is Nightingale. Nice to meet you, Iron Fist.”</p><p>“Just Youngbin is fine.”</p><p>“I’m afraid it doesn’t feel professional to me. Please bear with my code of courtesy.” She answers still with the same smile.</p><p>“If you say so.” The Iron Fist shrugs.</p><p>“Thank you for your understanding. Here is the address that you’re looking for,” Nightingale says as she gives him a piece of paper and some photos. There’s a cursive hand writing on the paper, spelling the place of his target. “A lone penthouse in 990 Fifth Avenue. You should be able to get there in 20 minutes from here. Charles Doyle is currently renting the place to keep an eye on your client. Be aware of the guards outside. He tightened up the security since last night.”</p><p>“He’s scared of what’s coming to him.” Youngbin darkly chuckles. He feels honored with his target’s countermeasure. That shows the guy is taking him seriously. “Is he currently there?”</p><p>“Yes he is. He goes to work on 10 AM.”</p><p>“Alright,” Youngbin puts the pieces of information in his pocket, “Thank you for your valuable information Miss Nightingale. I’ll be on my way.” Standing back on his feet, Youngbin walks back towards his car still with the warm coffee in his hand. Sipping it once more, he licks his lips and then silently smirks. Charles Doyle is gonna end today.</p><p>After going through the traffic, he’s finally arrived on the marker on his navigation. As soon as the penthouse is visible, Youngbin slowly pushes the brake to park behind the trees. The penthouse is going uphill. From where he is, he can see there’s a lot of men in suits walking around the perimeter. After making sure he got his gun and ammos ready, Youngbin checks his bag again to pull out a set of white bandages.</p><p>When he goes to fight, the brunette feels naked without them. These bandages are a part of him. They may be thin and lacking the necessary protection like gloves, but the warrior wouldn’t want it any other way. Before he steps outside of the car, Youngbin ties the bandages around his hands, making sure it’s not too tight but enough to make them feel secure. Using his teeth to tie the last knot on his right wrist, the assassin is ready to go.</p><p>“Let’s do this.” He speaks to himself, his eyes are filled with determination.</p><hr/><p>“So… you’re a ballerina?” Jun asks as she puts a piece of sausage inside her mouth.</p><p>“Mmhm. In Ruska Roma the girls have to learn the art of ballet.” So Ra answers with a shrug.</p><p>“Is it tough? The training?”</p><p>“Hellish.” So Ra shakes her head as she puts down her cup of tea, remembering a nasty incident during her first month, “Had to pluck my fucking toe’s nail due to the rigorous training.”</p><p>“No way…”</p><p>“I think every girls in there went through the same thing. But, in the end we all just call it tough love.” The girl in red chuckles to hide her pain, “Mother used to tell us that ‘art is pain and life is suffering’.”</p><p>“…I don’t think that’s true.” Jun sadly mutters out loud, her eyebrows creased in disagreement.</p><p>“It is Jun, if you desire perfection.” So Ra sighs, she understands the sentiment behind Junko’s comment. But her client who is newly introduced into this whole crime underworld needs to know that their world is different, that way of naïve thinking is something foreign, undesirable. “And for Mother, mistake is unacceptable.”</p><p>“…But Youngbin said I wasn’t supposed to know about this whole problem. What’s gonna happen to you?” Jun asks worriedly.</p><p>“Well,” So Ra grins as she leans back on her seat, sighing after imagining what’s going to happen to them, her included, “You don’t need to worry about that. What matters the most is to kill the guy that’s been targeting you and keeping you safe.”</p><p>Telling her not to worry is just doing the opposite to her. She shudders to think of the worst case scenario that could happen to So Ra and Youngbin, possibly even Suho. She hates to put them into more trouble than they’re already in for her. More than this, Junko doesn’t think she can take it.</p><p>Oblivious from their attention, a man far away from the dining room sees them sitting together and exchanging carefree laughs. His hand picks up his phone to take a picture, a proof for him to keep and spill towards someone he knows would be not amused with the situation.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>To be continued</em> </strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Dang this took a month. Please enjoy, regardless &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Confrontation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Youngbin is stealthily approaching his first target. He’s in the most vigilant state for today, he makes sure the coffee he drank doing its job. As soon as he gets close enough, with a swift movement he locks the man’s neck as he pulls him in with his arms. The man’s struggle is futile for 2 seconds later his life is forfeited with a snap of his neck. After the body is falling lifelessly to the ground with a thud, Youngbin continues to move to the nearest bodyguard and quickly does the same. He wants to gather as minimal attention as possible.</p><p>He’s currently on the side of the penthouse. Hiding behind the wall, he takes a peek to see how many guards he has to take care of.</p><p>
  <em>“6. Alright.” </em>
</p><p>The man is confident. Cocking his gun, Youngbin then steps out of his hiding to shoot the nearest guard on his line of sight.</p><p>“Shit! One down! Notify Darian!!” One of them shouts as soon as they hear the thunderous gunshot. He immediately brings out his own gun to shoot the intruder.</p><p>However, it’s not that easy.</p><p>Youngbin uses the guard’s body he had shot as his shield. With a precise aim, he shoots one guard who’s stupidly walking closer towards him to get a better shot. Quickly cocking his gun again, he then pushes the body away from him to gain more mobility. A moment of defenseless is what it takes for his enemy to start firing their rounds. Youngbin immediately crouches down and run as fast as he can towards another guard. When he sees his target pointing his gun towards him, Youngbin uses his left hand to quickly grabs a hold of his hand and stopping him from pulling the trigger. Using his other hand, he shoots the man in point blank range.</p><p>“What the fuck!?” Another one curses when he witnesses how fast the assassin is.</p><p>Not wasting any time, Youngbin uses both of his hands and shoots the rest of the guards.</p><p>Lawn area clear.</p><p>But it’s not the time to let his guard down just yet. With the whole gunshot party, he’s sure everyone in that penthouse heard him. His attentions shift towards the windows that separate the lawn and the inner part of the house. For a second there he sees his reflection.</p><p>“….!?”</p><p>The man realizes it’s not only his reflection that’s present by the window, but there are three man behind it that’s equipped with a machine gun and it’s pointing towards him. Without wasting his breath, Youngbin runs towards a huge tree to take cover. The windows shatter immediately upon the rapid bullet’s impact.</p><p>“That’s a little barbaric, don’t you think!?” Youngbin laughs in his hiding, wholeheartedly amused with his situation, “Damn, Doyle.” From within his jacket, Youngbin pulls out a single grenade he had stocked up from The Continental. Pulling out the safety pin, he takes a peek from his cover to see how far he needs to throw it. He sees the windows are completely shattered to the ground. Those men are completely bare for him to blow up. With a single powerful throw, Youngbin throws the grenade into the house, completely obliterating those three poor guards with a spectacular bang.</p><p>After he feels it’s starting to die down, Youngbin walks out of his cover. The smoke is still too thick for him to get a clear vision but he can tell how much damage he has done with that bomb. He still readies his gun just in case someone else is coming out of that area. Very unlikely, he ponders.</p><p>“I can’t believe he’s hiring these amateurs to protect him.” The brunette clicks his tongue in disbelieve. He doubts the men he killed even know about the world he’s living in. That makes him wonder, where is Darian? He could swear he heard that name shouted from one of the guards before.</p><p>Carefully walking inside of the house, Youngbin decides to try finding his final target. He uses his arm to cover his face from the smokes. Squinting his eyes from the dusts, as he walks further inside, he can see the kitchen area further in the back of the room. The house turns out to be roomier than he had thought.</p><p>The assassin is scanning the room around him. There is a corridor that leads to another part of the house. It’s still untouched from the damage of the grenade he threw.</p><p>It’s oddly silent he thinks. They must be hiding in the dark, waiting to ambush upon his arrival. But that doesn’t scare him at all. Knowing the bodyguards are a bunch of small fries, the only person Youngbin worries about is Darian. He’s sure that guy must be present in this house.</p><p>With careful steps, Youngbin starts walking through the corridor. Both of his hands are ready on the gun. He can see that it’s very bright on the other side, it must be another living room. He’s taking a mental note of an open space that he needs to deal with.</p><p>Walking past the corridor safely, he finally arrives at the living room that’s completely unscathed from the whole gun fight before. It’s completely empty. Not a soul in sight. Other than the wooden interiors, he can see the view of New York’s skyscrapers from the wide windows. Youngbin feels wary. What if Charles Doyle isn’t here?</p><p>“So you’ve come.”</p><p>Completely snapping him out of his thought, Youngbin immediately goes back to high alert and points out his gun towards the voice. They’re coming out from another hallway towards the east.</p><p>A familiar man with someone older appears from there. They’re not alone, four more guards are standing in front of them. The assassin can easily identify those two.</p><p>“Huh,” Youngbin smirks, “I see that you’re recovering well, Darian.”</p><p>The huge man chuckles lowly, “The Bowery King must’ve tipped you off.”</p><p>“Does that matter to you?” The assassin answers nonchalantly, “He bows to no one but The High Table.”</p><p>“It seems like you’re ignoring me here,” An annoying high-pitched sound interrupts their fleeting conversation. Walking forward uninvited, he begins to shamelessly introduce himself. “I’m Charles Doyle. It’s very nice to finally meet you, mister Iron Fist or should I call you… Kim Youngbin?”</p><p>Youngbin chuckles, mostly because of his poor attempt on pronouncing his name. Moreover, the fact that this old man is his target makes it even more annoying.</p><p>“I don’t care. I don’t have the time to play around with you,” Youngbin’s tongue rudely answers, he doesn’t have the time for bullshits, “Today is going to be your last.”</p><p>“Who-whoa hold on, young man! Let’s talk!”</p><p>The assassin raises his eyebrow. The finger that was almost pulling the trigger stops halfway, wondering why Charles Doyle is acting funny. As much as he wants to cut short this weird conversation his target trying to initiate, he is also curious to hear what he’s going to say.</p><p>Acknowledging his hesitant behavior, Charles continues to speak, knowing well he may still have a chance, “Let’s make a deal.”</p><p>“…What?”</p><p>“How much did Han pay you?”</p><p>“...Hah. Seriously?”</p><p>“I’m going to cut to the chase. I’m going to pay you 5 times more than he does.” The business man grins, “In return, I want you to join my side and then—”</p><p>“Then what? Kill Junko Han?”</p><p>“You got it.” Charles shrugs with a big grin plastered on his face. “Seems like we’re on the same wavelength here, yeah? What about it? Care to switch side and end this bloodshed?”</p><p>Youngbin chuckles. To think that this situation is actually happening to him. Truth be told, during his assassination career he never once got this kind of tempting offer. The reason why? It’s easy to know, if you’re an old timer in the underworld.</p><p>It’s a well-known fact of how loyal The Director’s children are to their Mother.</p><p>“I can’t believe you let him talk about this <em>deal</em>, Darian.” Youngbin answers in disbelieve, “Are you trying to disappoint him?”</p><p>The bald man merely chuckles, “You have to forgive my client’s ignorance. He’s new to this business. Well then, your answer?”</p><p>“You know what it is.”</p><p>“I see. A shame then.” Shaking his head in disappointment, Darian gives an approving nod to the rest of the bodyguards. He proceeds to take Charles Doyle with him back to his room. The assassin could hear his target shouting about how he would regret this. But of course, that threat means nothing for him.</p><p>Without warning, the bodyguards are starting to shoot at him. 6 vs 1, in the middle of this spacious living room, it’s easy to find your target. But no time to think, he runs back towards a long white sofa, hiding behind it to take cover. The shooting doesn’t stop just yet. The guy reaches out towards his jacket again, trying to find some ammo.</p><p><em>“Shit. One cartridge left.</em>” He grunts.</p><p>He takes a quick glance from his hiding, shooting towards the direction of his enemies. Immediately taking cover again, he could hear a loud groan coming from one of them. It seems like he got a good hit.</p><p>The bullets are starting to slow down. It’s the moment where they’re getting more cautious, trying to get closer to Youngbin to corner him. He looks at his right, waiting for that one guy to get close enough towards him. Then as soon as he sees the tip of his shoe, Youngbin leaps out towards the man and then punches him on his face. He makes sure that his position stays behind the man he’s hitting to make sure the others won’t get a clear sight to shoot.</p><p>Easily winning the melee combat, Youngbin doesn’t take away the man’s gun immediately but proceeds to take on the nearest guy in front of him. Being on point blank, it’s hard for the second bodyguard to shoot him. Quickly Youngbin grabs his arm and then pulls him in for a hard kick on his stomach. The man falls unconscious instantly. Before he’s bare for a shooting spree, he takes out his own gun again before the body falls completely on the floor. Not wasting the last five of his bullets, two men are dead unceremoniously without able to touch him. Realizing that he’s out of bullets, Youngbin throws the gun towards the man in front of him to shake him off. He then grabs a glass vase on his left and then throws that as well. The vase shatters upon impact, giving Youngbin a clear opening to knock him out cold.</p><p>But then he let his guard down for a second.</p><p>“Argh!!” Youngbin groans loudly. His right shoulder got shot, blood’s starting to seep through his jacket. But his adrenaline rush keeps him away from the pain. Picking up a piece of shattered glass, he throws it towards the direction of the one who shot at him and then successfully hit his chest. Of course it’s not enough to kill him. After he sees the man stumbling back, Youngbin runs towards him and then kicks him until he falls to the ground. Using his boot, he stomps on the piece of glass on his chest, pushing it further inside. The poor guy screams in agony before he dies.</p><p>“Shit.” Youngbin curses under his breath. Of all places it has to be his right shoulder, his dominant arm. He may not feel the pain that much but he knows his body is more honest than his stubborn mind. His arm wouldn’t work as good as minutes ago and he still has to take care of Darian. But just worrying about it wouldn’t get things done. He starts walking quickly towards the direction where Darian took Charles with him.</p><p>Kicking the locked door, Youngbin gets his way inside with force. He sees Darian standing readily in the middle. Charles? He’s cowardly hiding behind the desk.</p><p>“This ends now.” Youngbin growls.</p><p>“Why won’t you accept my offer!?” Charles shouts from behind the desk. The fear felt obvious within his trembling voice, “Do you want me to raise the price!? Just tell me how much—”</p><p>“Shut your damn mouth. I don’t give a shit about your money.” Youngbin spats, finally lost it towards the cowardly man attitude, “You’re gonna die today and that’s final.”</p><p>“Y-you fucking brat! Hey, do your fucking job and kill him!!” He orders from behind that damn desk. Poor guy, he’s scared shitless.</p><p>Sighing, the big man stretches his arms and neck, “This better be worth it.” Darian chuckles lowly.</p><p>The final battle begins. Youngbin brings both of his fists into his front. He brings his martial arts stance out for a show to his opponent. Despite of the wound on his shoulder, his posture still looks strong. Solid. Intimidating. People wouldn’t be able to tell that he’s injured if it weren’t for the blood that’s sipping through his jacket.</p><p>Darian, of course, realizes this. The cunning man cockily grins. He’s confident Youngbin is only millimeters away from his grave.</p><p>He lunges ahead first. A strong left jab coming towards Youngbin’s right. He dodges that easily and prepares himself for the upcoming continuous attacks. Each punch is targeting his weak points. One jab almost took a hit to his ribcage if he wasn’t enough. A sharp pain then comes uninvited to his wounded shoulder, forcing him to hiss to suppress the pain. That one second of opening let Darian to send a strong right kick towards his body.</p><p>Youngbin quickly blocks the attack with his arm, but the difference of body weight sent him harshly to the bookcase. The impact gives another sharp pain towards his shoulder, but the Iron Fist grits his teeth to make sure he doesn’t let that weakness again slips again. He curses mentally, taking notes of how the son of a bitch didn’t actually gave his all back in The Eugene.</p><p>From behind of his shielding arm, Youngbin sees his opponent is already walking towards him for another hit. Using the height difference to his advantage, he dodges the punch by crouching down, resulting Darian hitting on the books instead. Youngbin throws his arms around Darian’s waist, pushing him with all his might into the glass table ahead, shattering the vulnerable furniture into small pieces.</p><p>Holding on to the momentum, Youngbin sits up and throws a punch towards his opponent’s face. It seems like the cracked jaw injury from last night hasn’t fully healed yet, considering the loud groan coming out of him. His punches are relentless, mercilessly making sure that Darian would lose the shape of his own face.</p><p>Until he grabs his wrist and stops him.</p><p>“<strong>Don’t get too cocky, you piece of SHIT!</strong>” The big man roars before he pulls Youngbin in for a head butt.</p><p>Youngbin screams and hisses loudly. His forehead’s throbbing over the impact. He feels dizzy that instant and let his guard down. Before he knows it, Darian is already dragging his collar and throws his body into the wooden table where Charles is hiding.</p><p>“WHAT THE HELL!?” The cowardly hiding man screams when he hears the loud bang on the table.</p><p>“Fuck!” Youngbin curses under his breath. His right shoulder’s throbbing like mad, but his dizzied head is the real problem he needs to overcome quick. His vision is still a bit blurry, but he knows that the big guy is coming closer to him. As soon as he’s dangerously close enough, the Iron Fist musters up his strength for a hard kick on his stomach, toppling him backward.</p><p>Darian grins. Spitting his blood, he waits for Youngbin to stand back up from the table. He refuses to let this end so easily.</p><p>“You’re a fucking stubborn one, Iron Fist.”</p><p>“Heh,” Youngbin grins, “same as you, asshole.”</p><p>“Let’s end this.”</p><p>Without exchanging anymore words, they let their fists do the job.</p><hr/><p>“Hey—Suho-ssi! Stop!”</p><p>Junmyeon pretends not to hear him just like he tries to ignore the pain on his shoulder. Walking towards the front door feels like carrying leads on his back, but he’s too stubborn to admit it. Jaeyoon quickly stops his patient by standing in front of his way. He’s not giving up so easily.</p><p>“Suho-ssi, if you do this you will be nothing but a hindrance to Youngbin.” Jaeyoon pleads trying to reason, “You can’t even properly hold a gun like this. Please, go back to bed.”</p><p>“I can’t leave him alone, doctor.” Junmyeon says. It sounds weak but he’s trying not to show it, “This job is supposedly for the both of us. I can still move.”</p><p>Junmyeon looks up towards Jaeyoon. His body may not be fine, but his eyes are still aflame in spirits. They almost moved Jaeyoon to let the man go, but remembering his promise to Youngbin, he quickly steels his mind again.</p><p>“Still no. Youngbin told me not to let you go no matter what. It’s my job as the doctor to make sure that you’re recovering well.”</p><p>“I’m still going. I wasn’t asking for your permission anyway.”</p><p>The stubborn man walks pass the doctor, ignoring the warnings he was given. Jaeyoon sighs. It appears like he doesn’t have any choice.</p><p>“Fine. Don’t hate me for this.”</p><p>Jaeyoon pulls a sedative syringe from the pocket of his white coat. He then tries to pull in Junmyeon’s hand. To his expectation, Junmyeon fights back by pulling back his hand and tries to attack back. But to his avail, Jaeyoon easily counters it and cages Junmyeon between his arm. The other one gets ready to inject the syringe into his neck.</p><p>“Let me go, doctor!!” Junmyeon screams as he tries to get off the grip around his neck. He mentally curses for being so weak right now. He doesn’t have enough strength to fight back.</p><p>“I can’t, I’m sorry. Sleep tight.” Without warning, Jaeyoon pushes the syringe into the nape of Junmyeon’s neck, instantly taking his consciousness back to the dreamland. Carrying his limp body back to the bed, Jaeyoon then sits closely near the medicine shelf. The blonde man sharply exhales, looking at the digital clock by the wall. It’s 9 AM. Being aware of the time, his stomach grumbles in starvation. He realizes he hasn’t eaten breakfast.</p><p>Standing back up, he walks away towards the kitchen to find something edible. Just as soon as he opens the cabinet, he hears a loud knock on his front door. A little annoyed because of the sudden interruption, Jaeyoon sharply sighs and begrudgingly walks out of the kitchen to see who’s the early customer. Opening the small hole on the door, his dark eyes peek to see who it is.</p><p>“State your business.” Jaeyoon speaks.</p><p>“I’m So Ra, from Ruska Roma. I’m here to pick up Junmyeon oppa.”</p><p>Ruska Roma? The doctor thinks she must be one of Youngbin’s friends. “Uh… About that,” Jaeyoon hesitates before be answers, “I just gave him a strong painkiller so he’s really knocked out.”</p><p>“Can you help me carry him to the car, then?”</p><p>“…He hasn’t recovered yet. I don’t think it’s a good idea to pick him up now.”</p><p>“I know, believe me I hate to do this too. But unfortunately… this is Director’s order.”</p><p>Silence fills in the atmosphere for a second. After So Ra mentions who wants his patient back, Jaeyoon knows he has no room to argue anymore. It’s not like it’s his responsibility to keep a criminal well rested inside of his clinic. If they want to go despite of their bad injuries, they’re free to do so. They’ve paid the proper price anyway. But Jaeyoon? He’s different. As a doctor he wants to save as much lives as possible, even going as far as force injecting a sedative into his patient.</p><p>But for now, he has to be the one who concedes. Someone in higher power demands so.</p><p>“…Fine. I’ll go get him.”</p><hr/><p>The blood loss is making him lose focus. He could swear Darian appears to be split in two. They have been going at it for 15 minutes, no one seems to be giving up. Sharply exhaling, his body feels heavy to stand upright. But his heart is steeled, he knows it’s going to end soon. It appears like his opponent is more or less in the same condition as him.</p><p>“Damn… Hahaha, you’re amazing, Kim Youngbin…” Darian grunts, his face is bruised and bloodied, but his grin is still confidently etched on his face, “I remember the first time I saw you in that ring… Everyone praised you, they all won a shitload of cash from putting their bets on you. Just within 3 days… you outranked me.”</p><p>“Oh, is this the reason why you still wanna work for the coward behind the desk? Is it personal? A little jealousy?” Youngbin smirks, taunting his opponent.</p><p>“Heh… maybe so,” the bigger man chuckles, seemingly unbothered by Youngbin’s mockery, “I’m going to win and then I’ll break that woman in front of your eyes. Let’s see how you’ll like it.”</p><p>Hearing that threat makes Youngbin’s fury slowly creeps in. His eyes are blown wide, his inner monster is starting to take over. How dare he say that in front of him? How dare he acts as if he’s already winning? How dare he threatens Junko’s safety? Youngbin won’t let him speak any more. He’ll make sure he won’t get out of here alive.</p><p>“<strong>I’m gonna break your bones until there’s nothing left you can use to move an inch.</strong>”</p><p>The dead stare on his eyes bring excitement towards the bigger man. They mean business and oh yes, you can bet Kim Youngbin will live up to his words. He means every single one of it. Darian goes into a defensive state, preparing himself for another upcoming attack.</p><p>Youngbin throws a solid jab towards Darian’s ribcage. He then uses his foot to make the bigger man loses his footing, resulting him falling towards the floor on his ass. Not wasting his chance, the ruthless fighter stomps his boot on top of his stomach, forcing out a loud groan of pain. He then flips the man over and then pulls his left arm backwards, his foot pushes on top of his shoulder blade.</p><p>“ARGH FUCK!”</p><p>Darian screams the instant he feels his left arm painfully gets dislocated. His limp arm gets dropped carelessly on to the floor. He can feel the sharp throbbing pain permeating his shoulder. It’s useless now.</p><p>“FUCK you Young—GAH!”</p><p>His speech gets cut midway with a foot pressing on his head, pushing his face down on to the floor, not giving him a chance to speak a word.</p><p>“Shut the fuck up. You’re pissing me off.” Youngbin bellows coldly. “You see, I respected you, Darian. I really did.” He continues as he pulls in Darian’s right arm and then tightly grabs the wrist, “But you… <em>really</em> had to tell me such cheap, insulting, threat…”</p><p>With a twist, he snaps another one of his arms.</p><p>“FUCK!!”</p><p>Looking down towards his enemy, his dark eyes are now void of sympathy.</p><p>“You see, I don’t actually give a shit about your issue towards me,” Youngbin lowly speaks, his voice is dripping with spite, “I outranked you? So what? I always win. If you can’t keep up then you’re just weak.” Sitting down on his back, Youngbin rests both of his elbows on his knees, “I am the Iron Fist. If you think just for a second that you’ll win against me, you’re wrong. Why do you think I prolonged this fight, huh?” With a whisper, he moves closer towards his ear, making sure that his enemy hear every single word, “<strong><em>It’s to selfishly satiate my need for a good fight.</em></strong>”</p><p>Youngbin’s words sent shivers down to his spine. His pupils are blown wide in fear that he refuses to admit. Is he going to lose? Is this the end? He can’t use both of his arms anymore, is there even a chance for him to win?</p><p>“But don’t get me wrong. I did respect you, I had fun. That is, until you decide to threaten me with her.” The assassin continues. “Good bye, Darian.”</p><p>Standing up slightly, he pulls Darian’s head by the neck, his hands are positioned tightly under his jaws. His knee pushing on between of his shoulder blades, making sure that the bigger man can’t move. Then, with a careful handling, he pulls Darian’s neck until he hears a loud crack. It’s an instant, swift death.</p><p>Youngbin lets go of his head carelessly, moving away from the body to finish the next target.</p><p>“You’re next.”</p><p>“N-NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!”</p><p>Walking towards the table to find the hidden rat, he sees his final target to be cowering in fear. There is a gun in his hand, but they are shivering so much that it looks so pathetic. Youngbin gets cringed just by looking at it. He sighs. When he tries to take the gun away from Doyle, the older man can’t even pull the trigger. He helplessly looks up like a puppy trapped in a sewer.</p><p>Youngbin checks the gun to see if the safety lock is off already.</p><p>It’s not.</p><p>“…Unbelievable.” The brunette mutters as he takes the lock off.</p><p>“Y-you have to understand!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“That Han took everything from me! He stole a hundred million dollars deal from me, taking it for his own!! I’ve spent so much time and money to win the auction, I’ve lost so much! That money could’ve been—”</p><p>“Tch. Loser…” Youngbin sighs, pulling the slide of the gun to load his ammo.</p><p>“O-ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!” Doyle shouts again in an attempt to save his own life, “I-if you spare my life, I promise to stay away from Junko Han, AND also give you the money!!”</p><p>Looking down to the pitiful man, Youngbin points the gun towards the middle of his creased sweaty forehead.</p><p>“We’re done here.” He speaks for the last time and pull the trigger.</p><hr/><p>Walking outside towards his car, Youngbin mentally cursing the pain all over his body. He’s lacking sleep, lacking blood, and shamelessly hungry. He has to bear with all of that until he reaches The Continental. Thinking about that place, he remembers Jun. Her peaceful sleeping face was the last thing he sees. He wonders if So Ra is taking good care of her. He seriously hopes so.</p><p>Once he sees his car is on sight, he finds it not alone. Someone else is already waiting, sitting on the cap with crossed hands, wearing a black trench coat.</p><p>“…Luca?” Youngbin calls out to the familiar man.</p><p>“Hey,” Luca waves, “Get in.”</p><p>
  <strong> <em>To be continued</em> </strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Peculiar Acceptance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNINGS: Smut (Unprotected sex and mild sadistic humiliation)<br/>Finally the finale for The Escort in SF9 Crime AU series. Prepare for a long ride, there's a sweet lemonade by the end ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Junko fidgets anxiously on her seat. The dark lavish room and wooden interiors remind her of The Continental. Even though there’s a sense of familiarity, it fails to help her feel at ease. Especially when there’s someone with an intimidating presence in front of her.</p><p>They told her that she is called ‘The Director’. The Mother of all the younger ones in here.</p><p>She’s waiting for So Ra to come back. She only took her inside the Director’s room then just left right away, saying that she needs to make sure Suho wakes up soon. Junko doesn’t like to be left alone in a stranger’s place like this, moreover knowing just how dangerous this place is. So Ra already told her on the way here that this orphanage, Ruska Roma, is not a neutral site like The Continental. Murder can still take place in here. She prays that she will be spared from any harm.</p><p>“Good morning, Miss Junko.”</p><p>“Y-yes! Good morning, uhm, Director…”</p><p>“I’m very sorry for the unfortunate things that have befallen you these past few days…” the Director says in an articulate manner that it sounds so genuine for Jun, “Are my children doing a good job protecting you?”</p><p>“Yes, ma’am. Very much so. Without them, especially Youngbin, I’m sure I wouldn’t be alive today.” Junko answers confidently. She wants to make sure her gratitude strongly shows.</p><p>“Good. That is to be expected from them.” The Director nods in understanding, licking her bright red lips for other words to come, “However, I’m afraid they have made a serious mistake.”</p><p>“…Is it about me?”</p><p>“Yes. I’m sure you’ve already known but let me tell you again. You’re not supposed to know any of this. About your parents’ involvement with us. About the underworld. About their origins.” The black haired woman says as she taps her long nails on the table. Her disappointment is prominent within her voice. “You being in The Continental and registered as a <em>special</em> guest is proof enough that Youngbin has failed to keep this a secret.”</p><p>“But it’s not Youngbin’s fault… The man who tried to kill me ambushed me, how could Youngbin possible know?”</p><p>“He miscalculated, that’s why. He should’ve been more aware and took necessary actions to make sure that you’re still being kept in the dark. He was being careless.”</p><p>“…What are you going to do then?”</p><p>“I will talk about that with the three of them.”</p><p>“You’re not going to hurt them, aren’t you?”</p><p>“We’ll see.” The Director merely shrugs. An awfully vague answer, but remembering how So Ra acted when she asked about this topic, Jun is certain that it must be involved with her friends’ well-being.</p><p>Hearing that cold reply makes Jun’s heart sinks. Isn’t the Director being too hard on him? What matters the most is her safety. Junko is safe and well. She’s not even injured anyway! She wants to try her best to repay her debt. Negotiating with the ruthless matriarch should be a start.</p><p>“Do my p—”</p><p>Suddenly the door opens, revealing a man walking inside.</p><p>“Mother, I’ve brought him.” Says the man in the front. As soon as he says that, Jun’s eyes are blown wide in surprise. It’s him. His beat-up body, strands of hair sticking on his face, he looks so tired. Yet when he sees the woman he wanted to see, the color on his face goes back, revealing a pair of gleaming dark brown eyes.</p><p>“Youngbin!” Jun stands up to greet him, concerned with his current state of physique.</p><p>“Jun…” Youngbin whispers. A warm smile etches on his long face. “It’s good to see you. Are you okay?”</p><p>“What are you—it’s you who we should be worrying about!” Jun angrily replies, it’s unbelievable how the man could still worry about her even though he’s the one who got hurt. “You need to fix up your—”</p><p>“Miss Junko, can you calm down and sit back down?” The Director cuts her halfway, obviously not wanting Jun to say too much in her manor. This is her place. She will be the one who controls how things go.</p><p>Reluctant albeit scared, Jun sits back on the sofa but her worried eyes still haven’t left Youngbin.</p><p>“Luca, go to the infirmary. Call the other two over here.” The black-haired woman ordered.</p><p>“Yes, Mother.” With a slight bow, Luca walks out of her office and goes to the infirmary. He exchanges no words whatsoever towards his own friend, making Jun thinking about how serious the situation is.</p><p>“Sit down, son.”</p><p>Not bothering to answer, Youngbin does as he was told. He takes a seat besides of Jun. Things will not get pretty today. He wants to stay as close as possible to his… friend. He dares to say that now. Doyle is dead. He knows his relationship with her maybe over soon, but he knows deep inside, he already considers Jun as good friend. He bets So Ra and Junmyeon hyung must think the same.</p><p>“I believe you have eliminated Charles Doyle?” The Director questions.</p><p>“Yes, Mother.”</p><p>“Good.” She nods in understanding, but definitely not content, “But it’s not enough.”</p><p>“…Yes, Mother.”</p><p>“I’m afraid you can’t get away from this failure so easily, Youngbin.” The Director chides, “The punishment will be effective immediately, starting tonight.”</p><p>Gritting his teeth, Youngbin tries to hide his anxiety. But he has always been a man with pride. When things go wrong, he has to accept the consequences. He knows why he’s here instead of getting treated right away. It’s a part of his punishment. It’s already started.</p><p>“What are they going to do to you…?” Jun worriedly asks. She has to know what’s going on. She doesn’t want to be kept in the dark anymore. She needs to make his Mother understand that truthfully, she doesn’t mind about this new world. She knows how kind Youngbin, Suho, and So Ra are to her. She can’t possibly let that fact slide. They protected her.</p><p>Smiling warmly, Youngbin puts his reddened hand on top of Jun’s knee. Rubbing small circles to comfort her. “I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about it.”</p><p>Yeah, not too convincing.</p><p>“Excuse me, but do my parents already know about this?” Jun bravely asks.</p><p>“Yes, they have. They’re not amused. Just so you know, they want you back home to Korea tonight.”</p><p>Mouth agape in disbelieve, Jun can’t accept what she just heard. That’s too sudden! She still needs to continue her studies! She doesn’t want to leave Youngbin either!</p><p>On the other hand, that news gave a sharp pang on his chest. Youngbin should’ve expected this. Of course her parents would want her to go back. New York has become a dangerous place for her now that she has known about the other world.</p><p>“W-wait, what? No!” Jun couldn’t help but to raise her voice.</p><p>“I don’t have a say in that matter. Your parents demand so.” The elder woman sighs, “Until then, go pack your things. Luca will take you home and to the airport.”</p><p>“Wait please just let me—”</p><p>Before she gets to finish her sentence again, the wooden door opens, revealing two of the other escorts with Luca. There’s So Ra and Suho with his arm sling.</p><p>“Sorry for the wait, Mother.” So Ra says with a slight head bow. Her eyes dart across the room to find the two sitting on the middle sofa. Her face remains rigid upon looking at Youngbin, feeling a bit pitiful by looking at his current state. Poor guy isn’t even given the chance to fix himself up.</p><p>“Youngbin…” Meanwhile Suho who’s aware of his closest brother’s presence doesn’t hesitate to call him out. “…Are you okay?” He asks as soon as he takes a sit near him. He wanted to ask if Youngbin had successfully finished the mission, but the fact that he’s here means he did it.</p><p>The questioned man merely nods, “Don’t worry about me.” He may say that as if nothing’s wrong, but Suho can easily tell the beads of cold sweats are starting to form on his forehead. He must be holding the pain.</p><p>“Well then, now that everyone is here. Luca, please escort Miss Junko out.” Upon hearing that order, Junko immediately become frantic. She doesn’t want to walk out. She needs to know what is going to happen to her friends. She’s so afraid they will get hurt; she doesn’t want this to be her last time looking at them. But even though she keeps saying she doesn’t want to go, Luca doesn’t stop pulling her away towards the door. His strength is far superior from her, the girl can’t do nothing but to plead.</p><p>“Director, please just hear me out! I don’t mind any of this, I don’t! I swear I won’t tell anyone about what happened so please don’t hurt them I’m begging you!” The light-haired girl desperately begs. She can feel it, it’s going to be bad news. She knows the moment she’s walked out of this manor there is no chance she will see them again. Even though the circumstances of how they met is absurd, Junko wouldn’t wish it any other way.</p><p>“Jun…” Youngbin mutters under his breath. The others are also looking at the woman at disbelieve. Why would she go as far as to make a scene just for them? She doesn’t even know what their Mother is going to do to them.</p><p>The Director creases her thick eyebrows. She doesn’t understand Jun’s fascination towards her children. Why would she go so far as to beg? Even though what’s about to be discussed is none of her business. It’s starting to annoy her but at the same time it’s intriguing.</p><p>“Child,” The elder woman calls out, stopping Luca from pulling her outside, “what makes you so adamant to stop me? You barely know anything about us until someone tried to kill you. Are you sure involving yourself further in our matter is wise?”</p><p>Knowing she’s finally given a chance to speak, she starts to try explaining herself. She’s making sure to pour all of her feelings in this.</p><p>“Youngbin, Suho, and So Ra have been the biggest help I could possibly get. I just want to say assigning them as my… protectors, were the best decision that you have made. Truly, Ruska Rosma has my sincerest gratitude.” The girl deeply bows out of her habit as a Korean, just to show how sincere her feelings are. “They have been very kind and supportive to me. I truly think of them as my friends. Thus, the fact that they’re from a world that I have never known before doesn’t change what I think about them in the slightest. If the problem is about my parents’ disappointment, let me tell them myself that I don’t mind any of this. I still wouldn’t think less of them…”</p><p>The people in the room become silent. The three appear to be speechless, but Jun could swear she saw Suho cracked a smile before turning down his head. Meanwhile So Ra, she’s not as shy as Suho to show her gratitude. She sweetly smiles, giving a knowing nod to reassure the woman that she feels the same. And Youngbin? He instantly pulls up his hoodie to hide. He won’t give her that satisfaction of showing his bashful face. It’s weird how the three of them has the gall to react like this when their Mother is about to give them a hard time.</p><p>“You’re an odd one,” The Director raises an eyebrow, questioning her state of mind. “You do realize that the people inside of this orphanage kill for a job, don’t you? Your parents are funding this.”</p><p>“…I’m fully aware.”</p><p>“You said these three are kind and they protected you. First of all, protecting you was their job. I ordered them to do so. Secondly, sweetheart, killers can be kind to certain people if they want to. But the prospect of taking one’s life is not acceptable by everyone. What do you gain from protecting them?”</p><p>Biting her lip, Junko thinks hard about the answer she should be giving. The Director isn’t wrong. As someone who has been oblivious from this shady business where murder is a common thing to do everyday, how can she possibly be okay in the middle of this situation? Is she too naïve to think that she can befriend these people? Is it too much to think she can survive New York with the crimes that happen everyday?</p><p>“If I speak to my parents right now and able to convince them not to take the matter of me discovering their secret seriously, will you let them go?”</p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p>“Could you let me call my parents? Please?”</p><p>“…You have 15 minutes.”</p><p>Jun wastes no time. She quickly grabs her phone from her pocket and dials her mother’s phone. She turns on the loud speaker and then waits until her mother picks up. Her heart is pounding so fast. Her knees feel so weak that she’s afraid she would fall that instant. The other three have been silent. They don’t dare to say a word, actually afraid they would mess up the chance they have been given. Before he realizes it, Youngbin’s knuckles turn white. He’s actually a little nervous about how this’ll turn out. His eyes dart towards two of his friends, trying to find out if he’s not the only one.</p><p>Then, the ring stops.</p><p>
  <em>“…Junko?”</em>
</p><p>□□□</p><p>
  <em>1 week later</em>
</p><p>Swirling the pen within her fingers, Junko listens to her boring lecturer. She’s looking at the notes she had written, making sure that she had gotten everything on the page. If she wants to take something out of this boring class, it better be the things the old man is speaking for the past 30 minutes.</p><p>Every time she feels like this, her mind wanders to Suho. A classmate she had for only a day but Jun wished Suho would stay studying here with her. It’s not like the others are boring. They have been getting to know each other, asking where they’re from, all of that introduction thing. The class is starting to feel like accepting her. She’s confident the rest of the year is going to go well.</p><p>Then as if reading her mind, the lecturer dismisses the class earlier than usual. Just 5 minutes earlier, but still it counts.</p><p>The woman is excited to go out of the building. She quickly packs up her things and then walks past the others to the front gate. Once she’s outside, she opens her phone and then chat a certain someone.</p><p>
  <em>“Class’s dismissed. Where you now?” </em>
</p><p>And enter.</p><p>Slinging her bag back to her shoulder, her hopeful eyes are looking around the area to see where is the person that she’s supposed to meet up with. She can’t deny the sudden excited pounding within her heart. The woman smiles uncontrollably, expecting him to arrive very soon.</p><p>Then suddenly, she feels a light tap on her shoulder.</p><p>“Behind you.”</p><p>“OMO!”</p><p>Turning over in a hurry, she’s greeted with a charming young man with an innocent smile. She almost wants to punch that cheeky attitude, but she knows better not to do that to someone who actually has the ability to counter it.</p><p>“Suho! God, you scared me.” The woman laughs awkwardly. “Since when have you been there?”</p><p>Giving a quick pat on her shoulder, his sweet smile doesn’t waver. He’s dangerously looking like an angel right now, no one could ever possibly figure out his true nature.</p><p>“I just got here. You ready to go? He’s already starting.” He gestures with his head.</p><p>“Okay, let’s hurry then!” The woman nods enthusiastically.</p><p>□□□</p><p>Trying to make way beyond the crowd, her hand grabs ahold of Suho’s protective grip to not losing herself in the middle of this dangerous place. The crowd is so loud, all of them are cheering for the champions on stage. Finally getting to the front, she can see the man she had been wanting to spectate today. His naked torso glistens under the golden lights, his hair is wet from sweats from the previous round. Jun can see that tattoo-filled back when he turns around to take a drink. Her eyes widen in awe. This is the first time she ever sees him in the ring. The woman hopes the champion could see her, but she doesn’t get her hope up.</p><p><em>“Ladies and gentleman! Welcome to the 627<sup>th</sup> final match of Guerilla Ring!” </em>The host’s voice echoes through the speakers, “<em>Today we are going to witness another exciting fight! Expectedly won the first round, once again, our young veteran champion, The Iron Fist of Ruska Roma, Kim! Young! Biiiin!” </em></p><p>“GO YOUNGBIN!!” Suho shouts out shamelessly that his veins almost popped out, hyping up the crowd and giving support to his brother.</p><p>“Hey, Suho, question!” Junko speaks a little louder between all of the noises.</p><p>“What is it?” He answers back in the same manner.</p><p>“What will Youngbin get if he wins?”</p><p>“Money. These people are betting on him. He gets 45% of the share, the rest is for his promoter, which is Mother.”</p><p>“Does he ever lose?”</p><p>“Only once.” Suho grins, remembering the day his brother lost before he was called the Iron Fist, “Do you remember that Doctor we met at the bar who fixed me up?”</p><p>Gasping, Junko laughs nervously albeit very amused with the surprising information.</p><p>“No way!?”</p><p>Suho merely winks, letting her accepting the fact on her own. Then the sound of a big shiny cooper gong, ringing twice to pull their attention back to the ring.</p><p>Youngbin is focused. He doesn’t take his eyes off from his opponent even just for a millisecond. He stretches his neck, doing small tiny jumps for a little warm-up, and then finally the jury starts the match. They both are being careful for a start. Each of them stepping side to side, keeping a considerable distance before attacking. It seems like today Youngbin isn’t as collected as usual, because his foot is starting to attack first. That immediately sent the crowd crazy.</p><p>“YES! GO GET HIM, BIN!!” Suho shouts out.</p><p>Jun continues watching closely. This is her first time witnessing Youngbin fights. She has always wondered why people are calling him Iron Fist, but now that she’s watching an intense fist fight unfolds before her, she can understand him better. Youngbin is different when he fights. His usually kind demeanor is gone, replaced with a ruthless fighter that’s fearless and cold.</p><p>It makes Jun feeling funny on the inside, like butterflies fluttering in her belly. She can’t describe that feeling well without feeling embarrassed.</p><p>Her black eyes never leave him. She watches his every move, every punch and kicks he executes to topple his enemy down. Everyone is cheering for her friend that it feels like no one puts faith on the newcomer. She almost feels sorry, but her fixation on Youngbin outdone that unnecessary feeling until he eventually brings his opponent down.</p><p>“FUCK YES!” A shout from her behind brings her out of her trance. Like a wave, everyone gradually cheering for Iron Fist’s win. All of them are happy to go home victorious tonight.</p><p>“Yup, as expected.” Suho says with a smirk, “You can bet on Youngbin every time he fights, because going for him will always be a sure bet. His odds are always high. He’s a celebrity in the Guerilla Ring.” He continues proudly, “And here comes my sweet $1000 dollar check!”</p><p>As the jury holds the champion’s hand up high, Youngbin looks up to the second floor to see the spectators. He’s hoping to find a certain familiar face, until finally their eyes met.</p><p>Within that short moment, the room feels like it’s silenced. No cheers, no applauses, just them looking at each other. His eyes are focused on no one’s but hers, wanting to tell her that he knows she’s there and he’s happy to see her. She promised to come to see his match after class yesterday. It’s funny how that promise actually made him excited for today. Expecting someone new who’s close to him to watch his fight turns out to affect him more than he had thought.</p><p>Youngbin wonders, did he look cool? Did he impress her?</p><p>Pulling him out of his trance, the Jury announces the battle tonight is finished. Giving his gratitude with a solid hand shake, Youngbin looks back up towards Jun and his hyung, gesturing them to see him in the changing room before he walks away from the ring.</p><p>Opening the metallic door to Youngbin’s room, Jun congratulates him with a hug.</p><p>“You were awesome, Youngbin!” Jun exclaims. “Congratulations!”</p><p>“Thanks for coming, Jun,” Youngbin hugs back, more intimate that he intended but he mentally notes how good she smells right now, “How’s class today? Is it going well?”</p><p>“Mmhm. It’s boring without Suho, though.”</p><p>“Hey now, don’t say that. You’re making me feel bad.” Suho chides. “Anyways, Bin are you going back home right after this?”</p><p>“Hm? Yeah, why?” The brunette asks back.</p><p>“I need to go to Itaewon Bar actually. I have an appointment with Xiumin. Could you take her home?”</p><p>“Oh? Right now?” Jun asks.</p><p>“Yeah. Sorry guys, I gotta bail first.” Suho apologetically smiles as he scratches the back of his head.</p><p>“No worries, hyung.” Youngbin nods, “I’ll take her home.”</p><p>“Thanks, brother. Good job today.”</p><p>With a wave and a grin, Suho walks away from the changing room, leaving the two alone. Something is changing after Suho’s absence. The two can feel the difference, but they refuse to take notice of it. Realizing that they’ve silent for 5 seconds, Youngbin deliberately fakes a cough to melt the awkward tension.</p><p>“Uhm, anyways, let me wear my shirt first and collect the money. Then we’ll go back to your apartment. Okay?”</p><p>“Mm, take your time. I’ll wait—” Before she finishes her sentence, the woman took notice of cuts and bruises on his right chest. “Are you bleeding!?”</p><p>Blinking twice, Youngbin follows her gaze to see his chest, realizing only now that yes, he is indeed wounded. It’s not major but enough to freak the woman out.</p><p>“O-oh, I just noticed…” Youngbin dryly laughs, “I’m okay. It’s easy to fix. It doesn’t hurt at all.”</p><p>“No! It’s going to get infected, at least let me clean it—”</p><p>“Okay—let’s just do that later. Not here!”</p><p>“…Fine. I have a medical box. You better not leave later.”</p><p>Giving an assuring pat on her head, that of course, never fails to stop her heartbeat for 1 second, Youngbin tells her to wait outside for him to finish changing. The woman does as she was told. She waits outside by the wall, catching funny looks from the people who pass her in the hallway. They must be wondering who is that woman waiting outside of the Iron Fist’s room? His side chick? His girlfriend? Could she be his weakness? Junko only hangs her head low whilst playing with her phone. She gets anxious quite easily in a place like this. She’s the only stranger, an outsider.</p><p>Before her mind wanders off too far, the door opens to reveal Youngbin on his all-black get-up. Black tee, black ripped slim tapered jeans, a black cap, and carrying his usual brown bag.</p><p>“Hey, thanks for the wait. Let’s go?” The man sweetly smiles. Instantly her worries melt away, she feels safe again now that he’s there with her.</p><p>“Mm. Let’s go.”</p><p>□□□</p><p>Back inside her lavish apartment, Youngbin puts away his bag on the sofa by the TV. Looking at it, he remembers how Jun was hiding behind it while he was busy beating up Darian. The man chuckles lowly. Her helpless and panicked face is still as clear as day. It’s unbelievable how far they have come since that day. It’s only been a week but Youngbin feels like it’s already a month.</p><p>“Youngbin! Come here!” Junko shouts from bathroom inside her bedroom.</p><p>“Coming!” The man shouts back as he walks briskly to her.</p><p>When he gets inside, the ceramic floor feels cold to his feet. Jun is waiting for him by the table sink with a medical box on her hands.</p><p>“Sit on top of here.” Jun points with her head to the space besides of the sink.</p><p>“Yes, ma’am.” Complying her, Youngbin sits on top of the table near his friend, backing the wide mirror. Before she tells him, he takes off his cap and then his shirt on his own, putting the piece of cloth beside of him.</p><p>Realizing that he’s now topless, Jun looks at the mirror to see that huge cross tattoo on his back again, just to get her flustered for obvious reasons. “G-geez, I haven’t told you to take it off…” She mutters lowly. Too low for her liking.</p><p>“Why? You’re nervous? You’re the one who wanted to fix me up, though…” The brunette teases.</p><p>“Sh-shut up! I’m not nervous!” Without further ado, Junko brings the cotton swab that’s lightly soaked with betadine on to Youngbin’s bruises. There’s a single spot that looks particularly red with cuts. “Tell me if it hurts.”</p><p>A comfortable silence fills the room. The only sound that accompanies them is the running ventilation and the ac from the outside. Youngbin is staring at her glowing face. He takes note of how her eyebrows crease uncontrollably when she’s focused with her tasks. How pretty her lashes are, how her natural light-brown eyeshadows accompany her almond eyes. Within this close proximity, he realizes how small she is compared to him.</p><p>“…Thank you, Jun.” Youngbin mutters out of the blue.</p><p>“This is nothing.” The woman replies without looking away, still trying to find places to tend.</p><p>“No, I mean for everything. Including that day.”</p><p>“Ah…” The woman stops before she flashes a smile, “It’s okay. I needed to repay you somehow.”</p><p>“If it wasn’t for you, Mother would’ve kicked me out from there.”</p><p>“Wait, really?”</p><p>“Mm. And she would’ve given me 10 whippings. Maybe more, I don’t know. Only for me and Junmyeon hyung, though. So Ra wasn’t involved that much. She’d probably be off with extra ballet training hours.”</p><p>“Thank God, I saved you guys back then…”</p><p>“Hahaha, I’d rather thank your parents first for agreeing with you. I owe them so much.” The man chuckles lightly.</p><p>“I suppose that’s true. It was quite dramatic when they came here to talk things out with me.” Jun nods in agreement, remembering the time when their parents came to visit her the next day after Youngbin killed Charles Doyle. The three of them talked about the truth inside her still messed-up apartment. They also got introduced with Youngbin and Suho, just to see what kind of people that their daughter desperately tried to defend. Long story short, it went well. Her parents trusted those two to take care of her during her stay in NY. She goes back to the medical box on their left, trying to find a salve that she brought from Korea. “By the way, Youngbin.”</p><p>“Hm?” He hums.</p><p>Looking back at him, some strands of her hair falls down on her forehead, but they don’t succeed in covering her questioning eyes.</p><p>“Why are you in Ruska Roma? Did you just, joined that place and or did someone deliberately ask you to? And also, those tattoos… You said <em>‘you had to’</em> back then.”</p><p>“Hmm… Did I?”</p><p>“Ugh if you don’t wanna tell me then it’s okay.”</p><p>“Hahaha, I’m just joking, relax.” Stretching his back a bit after slouching for a while, Youngbin sighs loudly and begins to tell his origin, “It’s a bit long but basically I had an abusive father. Ever since mom died because of overdose, his habit changed for the worse. One day I tried running away from home in the middle of the night. He was chasing after me. There weren’t many cars on the road that night, but… I don’t know if you can call it fate, but one car hit him when he was crossing the road. I was 12.”</p><p>“…I had no idea.”</p><p>“Here’s the amazing part. The person who came out of that car was someone from Ruska Roma.”</p><p>“Wait, what? How? Why!?”</p><p>“Turns out dad was a target to kill. He had a huge debt. He hadn’t paid for a long time so yeah, they lost patience.” Youngbin shrugs, “The assassin, named Greg, he noticed I was the kid that’s left behind. He wanted to take responsibility and offered me a place to stay, a new family to belong. And that was Ruska Roma.”</p><p>“Did he tell you about what kind of orphanage that is?”</p><p>“He didn’t until we’re actually inside of the manor. Mother was the one who explained everything. She told me I had a place there. In Ruska Roma they give us everything as orphans. Educations, self-defense training, the art of dance, money, jobs, shelter, in return you just have swear fealty for her. Become her weapon. An assassin in the underworld.”</p><p>His explanation brings light to her negative perception of The Director. She had wondered why on earth would Youngbin stay with that kind of person. Someone who has the heart to whip her children and even kicking them out over one mistake. Perhaps the things she offered him was enough to give him another chance in life.</p><p>“I see… no wonder you guys respect her so much.” Jun says acknowledging, “But I still can’t agree with how strict she was with you three. It was too much for me.”</p><p>“If she didn’t do that no one would fear her, Jun. She is the law in that manor. Everyone owes her their life, including me. She gave us a future, protecting us well. I know perhaps we’re just assets at her disposal, but I never really minded it. I get to live this far and that’s enough of a reason to respect her.”</p><p>“Well, if you say so…” Junko looks away, not sure if she can look at him in the eyes without showing her disgruntled face. She then starts to apply the salve on Youngbin’s bruises. The cream feels cold on his skin.</p><p>“It’s okay, I’m not trying to make you agree with me. At least you can understand why I think like this.” Youngbin smiles warmly, his crescent eyes formed to comfort her, “You asked about the tattoos behind my back, right? By the age of 18 I had to get these inked. It’s my contract with Ruska Rosma.”</p><p>“Contract?”</p><p>“Mm, because it’s inked permanently on our body and runs through our blood streams, the contract is even more sacred that way. Everyone gets this, including Suho hyung and So Ra.”</p><p>“I see… Like a yakuza then.”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s similar. Is it scary to look at?” The man questions curiously.</p><p>“Hm? No, not really. I think it looks really cool. It’s even more amazing that Suho and So Ra got the same thing. And, hm… How do I say this? I’m happy you could find a place to belong despite of the hard ships you’ve been through.” Standing straight up, Jun is checking at her tending work to see if she’s covered all of the necessary locations. “Yup. I’m done. Oh—wait, we forgot your face!” Taking a little bit of more salve, Jun applies it to his left cheek bone. Rubbing it softly with care, she smiles after she’s sure she’s done a good job covering it. “Okay I’m do—”</p><p>When she’s about to pull her hand away, Youngbin suddenly grabs a hold of her wrist. His eyes are staring at her, too intimate for what Junko used to received. Her heart is beating like mad again. She doesn’t know what’s happening, she’s not sure if she’s even prepared on what’s about to happen if it’s according to her imagination. Her breathing goes shallow, she can swear she saw Youngbin’s pupils are dilating.</p><p>Youngbin couldn’t understand why his hand moved on its own. He couldn’t understand why when she told him that she’s happy for him, he gets all of these overwhelming emotions within his heart. He couldn’t understand why whenever he sees her face, his day’s just ten times better than usual. He couldn’t understand why whenever she’s this close with him, it’s hard to keep control of his affection.  He couldn’t understand why when her delicate fingers touched his body, he feels hot and funny at the same time. Then before he knew it, his hand just went ahead to grab her wrist, refusing to let her go away just yet.</p><p>With his other hand, he reaches out to her face to move those strands of hair away from covering her left side. Even though his hand is rough from those years of fighting, sullied by his targets’ bloods, for some reason he still could find the ability to be delicate towards this woman like she was made of glass.</p><p>“…Why do you care so much about me?” Youngbin whispers, “I’m not the best person out there to hang around with. I came from a dark place.”</p><p>Junko gets it now. He feels anxious to be around her. He thinks it’s not safe for her to be with him. But Jun never feels that way, it’s the opposite. If she keeps him around this city where the underworld forever lingers, she knows it’s best to know someone that can fight and help her. Especially knowing that she’s now involved with Ruska Roma, Junko isn’t exactly as safe as before she came here being oblivious.</p><p>“Because you’re Youngbin,” Jun smiles, hoping that her words will sound as genuine as her feelings, “the Youngbin that I know has been taking care of me so well. For me that’s enough.”</p><p>As if the switch is finally turned on, Youngbin pulls her in for a kiss. For a split second he feels regret is slowly creeping up his spine. Is he too hasty? What if she slaps the heck out of him? But that hesitation’s gone in an instant when he feels her lips kissing him back, seemingly pleased to be finally touched by his own. Youngbin can’t contain his growing smile. His hands move towards the back of her waist, pulling her closer to him as he passionately kisses her back. His hand snakes inside of her white shirt, touching her feverish skin. The touch brings out a soft moan from her throat, giving an opening for Youngbin to shove his tongue in to get more sound out of her. Her hands instantly grips harder on his shoulders, afraid to fall down due to her weak knees. Her reaction boosts his ego and Youngbin plans to savor every second of it.</p><p>Pulling back with heavy pants, Youngbin rests his forehead on hers, giving her a moment to process what just happened.</p><p>“Are you angry?” Youngbin asks, wanting to have that verification. His hand rubs comforting circles on her skin, making sure she knows that he means no harm.</p><p>Biting her lip to contemplate, Junko whispers, “No, I… I liked it.”</p><p>“…Do you want to stop here?”</p><p>“…Do you?”</p><p>“If I’m being honest with you, I don’t want to go back home tonight…” He laughs dryly, hoping she wouldn’t mind.</p><p>He didn’t expect her to kiss him again before she tells him what he was hoping to hear, “Then don’t.”</p><p>“…Fuck.” He inwardly curses before he smashes his plump lips on top of hers again, rougher this time. The force pushes her back a little, giving Youngbin space to step down from the sink. He continues to kiss her again, his hands start cupping her ass, squeezing them hard enough to elicit her sweet moans. Youngbin decides to carry her to the bed outside of the bathroom with her arms snaking around his neck and her thighs hanging onto his waist.</p><p>Once they’re both by the edge of the bed, Youngbin crawls on top of the mattress and lay Jun in the middle of it. He’s sitting on his knees; her legs are caged under his crotch.</p><p>Junko’s heart is beating rapidly like it would jump out of her chest. She’s laying there, helplessly under him. She can see him in all of his glory. His naked glowing torso under the dim lights, full of scars from his past battles. His preying eyes that are looking down on her, making her feeling tingly down there that she has to press her thighs together. She can’t deny it any further. She’s feeling excited.</p><p>“Shirt off.” Youngbin commands.</p><p>His voice sent shiver down her spine Junko doesn’t dare to speak. She’s just doing what she was told. Her hands proceed to pull her shirt up, leaving her with her pink laced bra. Her body shivers as soon as her skin is bare to the cold air. She feels so embarrassed like this. It has been too long since the last time she’s doing this kind of activity, she wonders if she’s prepared enough for her new partner.</p><p>“You’re beautiful…” Youngbin mutters as his hand traces her abdomen up to her breasts. He bends down to kiss her lips, and then down to her jaw and neck, nipping at her skin as his hand squeezes one of her breasts. Her moan’s filling in the room, so deliciously close on his ears, being the source of his growing hard-on.</p><p>“I’m taking this off.” The hungry man says before he unclips the hook from behind her back. Her naked breasts are there for him to see and savor. Her perked up nipples are begging to be tended. He’s pleased to see how eager her body is to receive him.</p><p>Without waiting any longer, he begins to suck one of her tits. Junko moans even louder, her hand grabs a hold of his hair, encouraging him to keep doing what he does. Knowing he found her weakness, his other hand pinches the other bud, hard enough to send electrifying pleasure all over her body.</p><p>“Youngbin…!” She calls out his name.</p><p>“…Shit.” The man curses. Going back up, he’s looking at the work that he has done. Her disheveled hair, rosy tits and cheeks, heavy panting, she’s going undone below him. The bulge in his pants is growing uncomfortable by every second, but Youngbin doesn’t want to give in just yet, “Pants off.” He orders again.</p><p>Her hands reach down to open the buttons and undoing the zipper. Youngbin pulls the pants down to help her, leaving the matching pink laced thong on.</p><p>“Heh. Wearing this to school? You’re so naughty. I can even smell your arousal from here.” Youngbin smirks arrogantly, “You’re enjoying this, Jun?” He teases as his hand goes to touch the fabric on her folds. It’s soaking wet already. He begins to tease her by rubbing his fingers on it without touching her directly, just to rile her up. “Answer me.”</p><p>“I-I…” Jun bites her lip, her hand covers her face out of embarrassment, “I do...”</p><p>“Do you want me to touch you here?” He enquires again, whispering closely towards her ear, his sultry voice dripping like honey as his tongue licks her earlobe.</p><p>The poor woman can’t muster up a voice, so she could only nod. But no, Youngbin wouldn’t accept that. He wants to hear her. He wants to make her say it with her own trembling voice.</p><p>“No, Jun… You have to tell me. I can’t understand you.” The man grins. “Do you <strong>want </strong>me to touch you?”</p><p>She can’t take it anymore. Her sex is growing needy and she can’t hold it in any longer.</p><p>“Yes…”</p><p>“Yes what?”</p><p>“Yes… Please…”</p><p>“Haha, good girl.” He rewards her by giving her a kiss on her forehead. His hand slowly goes inside of her panties, finding that entrance that’s already dripping wet and inviting, “You’re so wet… Feeling excited for me, hm?”</p><p>“Sh-shut up, Young—AH!”</p><p>Without warning, his digit went inside of her. Her back arced in pleasurable surprise, finally feeling that long lost sensation inside of her again. His thumb rubs on her clit for more pleasure, successfully bringing out beautiful moans out of her mouth. Pumping his finger in and out, Youngbin is enjoying the look at her face. She’s moaning non-stop, he’s starting to ruin her with just a finger. What can he possibly witness when it’s his own cock’s turn later?</p><p>“M-more…!” Junko unknowingly beg, seemingly losing control of her self.</p><p>“Hm…” The man smirks as he put another finger inside of her again, pumping them in and out even faster. This time he’s going down to suck on her tits and fondling them, making Junko scream even desperately as she arced her back again. Her hips moving on their own, being an honest reaction from his stimulation. The sound of her juices flowing out of her folds is so embarrassingly prominent but it arouses the both of them so much. “Can you fucking hear that, Jun?” His raspy voice asks her, “You’re so fucking loud down there.”</p><p><em>Fuck </em>his cursing sent her to the edge. She’s starting to see stars; her hips keep moving uncontrollably hoping for a sweet release. “N-no…! Ahn-! Youngbin, I’m gonna—!”</p><p>“You’re gonna cum? Go ahead, baby, cum for me.”</p><p>With a loud scream, her climax came undone, covering the man’s fingers with her slick nectar. It runs down on to his palm. He decided to give her a show by sucking his own fingers, licking her juice off clean.</p><p>“Delicious.”</p><p>“Youngbin…” Junko softly whispers, still slightly trembling from her release. But her wants are still prominent to see. Looking at him who licks her juice clean, it triggers another desire within her. She wants to see how far he can ruin her. She wants him inside of her.</p><p>Leaning down towards her neck, he creeps up to her earlobe, whispering with that husky voice of his, “Do you still want to continue?” his other hand caresses her milky smooth thigh, “Because I don’t think I can control myself beyond this point.”</p><p>The woman gulps. Deep down, she knows she has been wanting this. She knows her feeling is mutual. She’s in good hands, and she’s feeling even more excited knowing how <em>uncontrollable </em>he can be to her. Bringing her hands to cup his face, she brings herself to kiss him.</p><p>“I’m yours, Youngbin…”</p><p>“…Are you sure?”</p><p>The woman nods. There is no hesitation in her eyes. “You can do whatever you want to me tonight.”</p><p>That invitation elicits a deep grunt from him. He thinks she has no idea what she’s in for. His hand squeezes her thigh harder, feeling his raw and wild emotion is starting to seep out. The word ‘<em>whatever’ </em>gives him the power to do things she wouldn’t be ready for. However, he wouldn’t know unless he try.</p><p>“You have no idea of what you’re talking about.” Youngbin chuckles. He roses to unbuckle his pants, taking off his belt and undo his zipper. “If there is one thing that I haven’t told you about, I’m not as kind as you think I am. I can be a ruthless bastard.” He groans, pulling the belt he’s holding within his hand, “Both in fights and on bed.”</p><p>“H-huh?”</p><p>“Ever heard of S &amp; M?”</p><p>“…Which one are you?”</p><p>“You should probably know that.” He smirks, “But we’ll take it slow. I’m not going to do things you wouldn’t enjoy.” He says before licking his lips, his predatory gaze piercing on her, “I just wanna tell you that saying you’ll let me do <strong>whatever I want </strong>means I may do things that you’ve never experienced before, sweetheart.”</p><p>Junko can feel her insides is getting tighten up. She can feel her pussy is throbbing again, surprised at how much he could affect her this way. The woman has never done it before, but the truth is she often fantasizes about it. To be dominated this way, with a man like Youngbin.</p><p>“I’ve said what I said,” Junko answers, “do whatever you want, Youngbin.”</p><p>That does it.</p><p>“Put your hands up.”</p><p>The woman does as she was told. She put her hands up on her head closely together, waiting for that belt to tie her wrists tight. Her heart is beating like crazy, she feels like it’s going to jump out of her ribcage.</p><p>Youngbin proceeds to tie his belt around her wrists, making sure it’s not too tight but tight enough for her not to let loose.</p><p>“Does it hurt?” He asks before he continues. Junko merely shakes her head with an assuring smile. Youngbin leans down to kiss her deeply, pushing his tongue in as his hand squeezes her tits and pulling her nipples again, eliciting deep erotic moans from her. Breaking off the kiss, he roses up to take off his pants, letting his hard cock springs free. There’s a bit of pre-cum already leaking. “Condom?”</p><p>“I… don’t have any.” The woman looks away, a little shy for being unprepared.</p><p>“Me too. I’ll shoot outside.” He then pulls the fabric to the side to reveal her folds, grabbing it to create a friction, “I don’t feel like taking this off. It looks hot on you.” He deeply chuckles, “Heh… You’re dripping wet again. Look at her throbbing just for me…” He points out shamelessly as he licks his lips.</p><p>He brings the tip to rub on her entrance, feeling that love juice flowing to lubricate him. That alone already feels so good for her, making her moving her hips begging for more.</p><p>“Oh, seems like someone is impatient…” He teases, still rubbing the tip of his cock on her clit, “Do you want this, Jun? Do you want me to mess you up?”</p><p>“Nngh… Youngbin, please… I can’t take it anymore!” She answers, getting very desperate.</p><p>“No, no… you’ll have to say it nice and clear, Junko. What do you want?”</p><p>“I-I…” Trying hard to push away her last existing pride, she finally musters up her courage to say it, “I want your… dick…”</p><p>“I can’t hear you…” His grin growing wider, excited to see her embarrassing herself. “I said, <strong>nice and clear</strong>, didn’t I?”</p><p>Trembling, Junko finally losing it. “I want you to mess me up! I want your dick inside of me!!” She finally cries out loud, not caring to lose her sense anymore.</p><p>“That’s my good girl.”</p><p>With a single push, Youngbin puts his cock inside of her, slowly pushing through until her pussy swallows him whole. Both of his hands are pushing under her knees, giving space for him to thrust further. With a loud groan, he can feel himself finally inside of her, feeling her raw walls pulsating around his throbbing cock. It feels so fucking good. It’s been too long since the last time he had done this.</p><p>“Shit, you’re so fucking tight…” He grunts lowly, pulling back a bit to push again, “and so fucking wet. You’re feeling like this from a man you just met for two weeks? What a naughty girl.” He darkly chuckles, taking pleasure in humiliating her, “I better make sure that you won’t do this to anyone else other than me.”</p><p>Jun couldn’t explain the feeling that she’s going through. The way he speaks to her, the way he’s fully inside of her, they all sparked things she didn’t know she would enjoy. She feels so complete with him.</p><p>“Of course, I won’t…” She tries to tell him, weak from the power he exerts over her.</p><p>“Somehow I’m not convinced,” He clicked his tongue as his hand trails over her neck, slowly giving pressure from his thumb onto her skin, “I think I should mark you, making sure you remember who you belong to.” He devilishly grins.</p><p>Without warning, Youngbin begins to move his hips again. He goes in hard and precise, each thrusts hitting her sweet spot numerous times. Tears of pleasure are starting to pool near her eyes, feeling helpless with her hands tied. She’s become a moaning mess, calling his name again and again like a chant. It sounds like heaven in his ears and her image heightens his arousal even more.</p><p>Leaning down towards her neck, Youngbin sucks and bites her skin, giving deep colored hickeys that’s going to be so obvious to see. He continues to kiss the spot under her ear, whispering sweet things to her, telling her how good she feels around him and making her tightened up even more. The sound of skins slapping filling in the whole space, making her feel more self-conscious but aroused at the same time.</p><p>“Do you know what you look like, right now?” Youngbin darkly chuckles, his thumb brushes over her lips before he puts it in for her to suck, “You look so fucked up, baby. Like a slut.” He grins, looking at how she’s sucking his finger well like an infant. His other hand goes down to start rubbing on her clit, encouraging her climax to come soon. His pace is getting even faster than before.</p><p>“Youngbin!!” She screams out loud as soon his thumb left her mouth, feeling her climax is coming closer.</p><p>“Go ahead, cum for me.” He grins as he keeps rubbing her hardened clitoris, the other one locking her thigh around his arm. Seconds later, it finally came to her like a tsunami. Her back arced uncontrollably, her body’s trembling all over. Her breathing becomes heavy and her head’s spinning. It felt amazing. Giving her a short moment to catch her breath, Youngbin takes off the belt around her wrists. The woman thought it was over, but she’s proven wrong when he flips her over to her stomach then pulls her closer until her ass’s facing his abs.</p><p>“Y-youngbin!?”</p><p>“I’m not done yet.”</p><p>“But—AHN!”</p><p>The sound of hard slapping echoes through the room. Her butt cheek is red from the friction. She’s feeling that mild stinging sensation, but she doesn’t mind at all. In fact she can feel her pussy is starting to drool with want again.</p><p>“You liked that?” The man asks as he rubs the place he just slapped.</p><p>“I-I… I don’t mind…” She timidly whines, ashamed to admit it.</p><p>“So you do, hm?” Youngbin spanks her ass again, this time a bit harder than before. “That’s what you get for cumming first.”</p><p>“I-I’m sorry…!” Jun couldn’t help but to sob.</p><p>Youngbin then pulls both of her hands onto her back, locking them with a grip of his own. He starts to pull her thong onto the side of her butt cheek, pushing his still-hard cock inside of her in one go. The woman moans again, feeling herself full with his hot rod. He begins to mercilessly pound into her dripping pussy again as he continues to slap her reddened ass. It’s so easy to slide in and out due to her past climax. It gets even wetter that the sound of her juices flowing out is dirtying the sheet below.  It’s beyond erotic, Youngbin couldn’t control himself at all.</p><p>“Fuck, baby, you’re sucking me so deep again. Aren’t you a horny bitch? Huh?” He slaps her ass again, demanding her obedient answer, “Answer me!”</p><p>“Yes-! Yes I am!! Oh my God, Youngbin--!”</p><p>“That’s right, you’re feeling good, huh? Your pussy’s still dripping like a waterfall right here, you know?” His own breathing is getting ragged. Wanting to have more control to ram her harder, he lets go of her hands and proceeds to grabs her waist. His pace is getting faster, soon approaching his own climax.</p><p>“Shit I’m gonna cum—”</p><p>Before his climax come undone, Youngbin pulls out of her and then shoots his seeds on top of her glistening back. He groans loudly, feeling so satisfied and full. Her body soon falls down with spasm, feeling spent and tired.</p><p>Youngbin runs his hand through his sweaty hair, getting them out of the way from seeing his work. <em>Beautifully messed up, </em>is what he likes to call it. Her reddened cheeks, bites marks on her nape, heavy breathing, disheveled hair, and how she was receiving his treatment so well. He loved every second of it.</p><p>“I’ll be right back.” He says before going to the bathroom. The sound of water running was heard and he comes back with a wet towel. He then uses the towel to clean her up.</p><p>If weren’t for the cold air, Junko would’ve fallen asleep. Feeling the warm towel on her back feels so comforting. But before she could close her eyes fully, Youngbin pinches her butt cheek to mess with her.</p><p>“Hey!” The woman jolts and turn around. Her eyes rounded wide when she sees him laughing carefree, acting like the usual Youngbin she used to see. It reminds her of his wild actions from before, how rough he could possibly get with her. And most of all, she’s surprised with herself. She felt like she’s found a new side that she didn’t know existed.</p><p>“Hahaha, sorry, you’re so cute I couldn’t help it.” He touches her cheek softly, his demeanor changes to worry, “Are you okay? Was I… too much?” He asks whilst tilting his head. “I’m sorry if I…”</p><p>“No!” She cuts him off, “I mean… It was alright. It was… amazing. You don’t need to apologize. Thanks to you I found out about things I didn’t know about myself.”</p><p>“What? About how masochistic you actually are?” He grins, knowing that he probably hits home.</p><p>“Ugh… I guess I am…” She finally admits. “I really didn’t know I’d enjoy it.”</p><p>“That’s okay. Most people wouldn’t know unless they try it first. I guess no wonder we’re attracted to each other, huh?” He says with a pat on her head.</p><p>Later on, both of them goes under the blanket to naked cuddle and get warm. Jun rests her head on top of his arm, giving sweet butterfly kisses on his neck. Youngbin rests his cheek on top of her crown, enjoying this moment they both have.</p><p>“…I like you, Jun.” He finally confesses.</p><p>Widening her eyes, she is almost shocked with his sudden confession. But soon enough, she sweetly smiles. She feels the same and she wants to make it clear.</p><p>“I like you too, Youngbin.” She answers.</p><p>The man is almost speechless. Even though he expected it, it still hits him different when he actually hears it from her. He can’t hold in his excitement so he’s giving her a tight hug. Hoping she’d understand of how happy he is right now.</p><p>“Thank you,” the man whispers, “I’m so happy, right now.”</p><p>“Hey, it’s okay…” The woman chuckles, finding a hard time to believe that this is the same Youngbin who did her senseless, “Does this mean we’re dating now?”</p><p>“If you don’t mind dating an assassin then yeah, I guess we are.”</p><p>“Alright then. I’ll be in your care.” She grins cheekily, giving a quick kiss on his lips before hugging him tight again.</p><p>Letting their fatigue to take over, they both fall asleep in each other’s arms, feeling confident to face another day in the city that never sleeps.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>The Escort, fin.</em>
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